What's Scotland's biggest unsung centre for whisky?

When you think of whisky - Scotch whisky - where do you think of?

Islay? Campbeltown? Speyside? Or, if you want to be more specific, Dufftown? Or Aberlour?

But what about Glasgow?

It's the largest city in Scotland. It's still the country's industrial heartland. So why not the capital of whisky too?

Far-fetched as that may seem, Neill Murphy - who blogs about whisky as A Scot on Scotch - believes there's a barley grain of truth in the idea. "Glasgow," he says, "should be better thought of, really... We have a lot of whisky history in this city that's been forgotten about by most people. I myself included. I'm constantly researching and finding new things I didn't know about."

The first Glasgow distillery - "that we know of" - he says, was founded in 1770. "And between then and 1903, there were something like 27 distilleries operating in the city of Glasgow."

There was the Adelphi Distillery, Yoker Distillery and Dundas Hill, "which was up on the banks of the Forth and Clyde Canal." (In 1887, Alfred Barnard reported that Port Dundas produced "no less than 2,562,000 gallons" of whisky a year and generated £430,000 in duties. That's equivalent to £72 million in today's money.)

"There's just so many," Neill continues. "And that's before you even take into account all the blenders and things. We had Teacher & Sons and Mackie & Co. So the Teacher's Highland Cream was a blend that came from Glasgow. The White Horse Blend came from Glasgow. There's so much history there. And, as I say, even the people of Glasgow have forgotten most of it."

So, in November 2024, Neill and his business partner John McGuire, started Scottish Rogue, to put Glasgow "back on the whisky map." They provides distillery tours, whisky tastings and whisky bar walking tours around the city. They do, however, stretch the outskirts of Glasgow to include the Deanston Distillery in Perthshire. "But," Neill says, "it's only about maybe 45 minutes, 50 minutes away. And I think it's a bit of a hidden gem really."

But, Neill insists, there are two great genuine Glasgow distilleries worth exploring: Clydeside Distillery on the River Clyde and The Glasgow Distillery in Hillington.

Tune in as Neill tells John about his love of whisky, which was sparked at a Highland funeral, and his thoughts on the state of the industry.

Slàinte!
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Creator & producer: David Holmes
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Music: Water of Life (Never Going Home)
Vocals: Andrea Cunningham
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Music & Lyrics: Andrea Cunningham & John Beattie
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