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Glasgow Distillery Company launches first single malt

The producer of Makar Gin has launched 1770 Scotch whisky – the first single malt created at an independent Glasgow distillery for more than 100 years.

Liam Hughes, Ian McDougall and Mike Hayward established the Glasgow Distillery Company in 2012

The Glasgow Distillery Company is the first independent single malt-producing distillery based in the city since 1902. It was founded by Liam Hughes, Ian McDougall and Mike Hayward in 2012.

The distillery started production of its inaugural single malt in 2015, and has now launched 5,000 bottles of the 1770 expression globally. The whisky goes on-sale on 3 June, and prospective buyers will be required to register their interest before being entered into a ballot.

The single malt is named after Glasgow’s first distillery, which was founded at Dundashill in 1770.

The first casks of 1770 reached the three-year maturation requirement earlier this week. The whisky has been aged in first-fill ex-Bourbon casks before being finished for a “short period” in virgin oak.

Liam Hughes, CEO and co-founder of the Glasgow Distillery Company, said: “Our surroundings have definitely shaped us. Glasgow is more industrious than industrial now – it’s somewhere that doesn’t stand still and always strives to better itself. And that’s exactly what we wanted for 1770; something distinctive, enterprising and of quality.

“The city is now part of a new chapter in the world of single malt whisky, which is really exciting. Our 1770 shines a light on modern Scotland – we’ve produced something we are very proud of.”

The Glasgow Distillery Company is planning to extend its single malt offering with the launch of peated and triple-distilled expressions in 2019 and 2020 as annual limited editions.

1770 Glasgow Single Malt Scotch Whisky is non-chill-filtered and bottled at 46% abv.

In November last year fellow Glasgow distillery Clydeside officially opened, marking the return of the distilling industry to the banks of the River Clyde.

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