Whisky Focus - The Clydeside Distillery Glasgow Now Open To Visitors

The Clydeside Distillery Now Open To Visitors


23rd November 2017
The Clydeside Distillery on the banks of the River Clyde opens its doors to the public for the first time today.

The Clydeside Distillery Glasgow - Photo credit Ashley Coombes

Whisky production returned to the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow on the 7th November when the first spirit flowed from the stills of The Clydeside Distillery and today The Clydeside officially opened its doors to visitors for the first time.

Sitting on the site formerly known as The Queen’s Dock, once the beating heart of Glasgow’s shipping industry, The Pump House, with its famous clock tower, houses a 5-star visitor centre with interactive whisky experience, shop and café.

Opposite The Pump House is the new modern still house which houses a 1.5 tonne Semi Lauter mash tun, 8 stainless steel wash backs, a 7,500 litre wash still and a 5,000 litre spirit still which were crafted by the internationally-renowned Scottish coppersmiths, Forsyths of Moray and are capable of producing 500,000 litres of Lowland single malt Scotch whisky per year.

The Clydeside Still House - Photo credit Ashley Coombes

Visitors taking the three part Clydeside Tour can see Glasgow’s links to the whisky industry brought to life through words, pictures and film as they make their way through 140 years of history as part of a self-led and guided tour. The Pump House once controlled entry into The Queen’s Dock, one of the city’s most famous shipping ports built by Morrison and Mason in 1877. This ensured Customs and Excise could keep a close eye on goods in and out, including Scotch whisky.

For the second part of The Clydeside Tour an expert guide will show you around Clydeside Distillery itself. Meet the distillery's craftsmen as they handcraft pure new make spirit using traditional methods and time-honoured skills while enjoying the spectacular view over the Clyde from the gleaming contemporary Still House.

Finally, to round off the tour, you can savour Three Wee Drams from across Scotland in Tasting Room with the help of the expert guide and at the end of your tour, you will have the chance to purchase your favourite dram to take home from the distillery shop.

The Clydeside Tour Pricing:

Adults £15 per person
Concessions: £13 per person
Children age (8-17 years): £5 per child
Family tickets from £33

The Queen's Dock Tour:

There is also an exclusive, tailor-made Queen's Dock Tour which is only available for up to six guests upon request and lasts 1 hour 40 minutes and features even more drams in the premium Blender's Room. There will be opportunities to arrange private and VIP tours to do so call 0141 212 1404.

The Clydeside Distillery is owned by Morrison Glasgow Distillers Ltd, who's Chairman, Tim Morrison is the great grandson of John Morrison, who originally built The Queen’s Dock in 1877. Tim, formerly of Morrison Bowmore Distillers is current proprietor of the AD Rattray Scotch Whisky Company.

The project to transform The Pump House into an operational whisky distillery began in 2012 and has been spearheaded by Tim and his son Andrew, the distillery’s Commercial Director.

Tim Morrison said: "This is an exciting day for Glasgow and the Scotch whisky industry. After more than a century copper stills are producing spirit on the banks of the Clyde and we’re incredibly proud to be able to open our doors to the public.

"Glasgow has an affinity with Scotch whisky unlike any other city in the world with The Queen’s Dock previously witnessing the exports of whisky with ships sailing past the Pump House destined for all continents of the world.

"Of course for me and my family there is a very personal link knowing that my great grandfather built The Queen’s Dock where The Clydeside Distillery now sits. We’re looking forward to the future and seeing whisky produced in the heart of Glasgow once again.”

Andrew Morrison said: "This project has been a labour of love and I’m very proud to see The Clydeside Distillery now open. Today marks the culmination of a long-standing vision to put Glasgow back on the Scotch whisky map.

"We are passionate about using traditional methods to produce our whisky, albeit with a bit of modern technology. We’re combining this with the skills of our distillers to ensure we stay true to the techniques employed for hundreds of years.

"We want to welcome everyone, from Glasgow natives and Scottish whisky lovers to international whisky enthusiasts, tourists and those who are visiting the city. Glasgow has a long and special relationship with Scotch whisky and our visitor experience will bring this to life."

Around 25 jobs have been created at The Clydeside Distillery with Alistair McDonald, Distillery Manager, using over 30 years of knowledge and experience to oversee all aspects of whisky production. Having previously worked for Beam Suntory as Distillery Manager at Auchentoshan, Islay-native Alistair, began his career as an Apprentice Distillery Engineer at Bowmore Distillery. As Visitor Centre Manager, Bridgeen Mullen will manage the day-to-day running of the attraction which includes a team of tour guides, as well as the retail and catering teams.

The distillery is also capable of hosting a variety of events, from wedding receptions to corporate drinks functions and dinners. The tasting room, located on the mezzanine level, opens up to create a stunning, bespoke space for 40-200 guests.

As I said The Clydeside opened for visits from the public today, tours will last approx. 20 minutes and will start once every hour, on the hour during the week and twice every hour at weekends.
 

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