Islay, Speyside, Skye… iconic whisky destinations. How about our very own Glasgow? No? You might be surprised to know that our Dear Green Place has a very amber past.
By Tracy Mukherjee
I Like Whisky.
There, I’m a girl and I like full on peaty, smoky Islay whisky. I visited Islay during the pandemic, thinking, this is the home of whisky, The Whisky Festival, at least distilleries don’t close. I was right, they don’t. But their tours do. Sigh.
Like most articles I write, I start with ‘I know a little…’ So, I do know a little about whisky. But when asked to write an article about Glasgow and its whisky heritage, I was delighted to be put in touch with someone who knows A Lot about whisky. And that’s Glasgow whisky tour experts, Scottish Rogue. The company have a range of tours and tastings around the city.
And so it came to pass that Editor and High-Heid-Yin Suzanne and I find ourselves booked on a Glasgow Whisky Bars Walking Tour with the very knowledgeable Neill. Neill Murphy and his business partner John McGuire have a passion for whisky that saw them starting their company in 2025. From there it has grown, with visitors from all over the world taking the tours, finding out, not only about whisky, but about Glasgow’s association with the amber nectar over many, many centuries.
The Whisky Walk
It’s a somewhat questionable Sunday afternoon weather-wise, when we arrive at the meeting point, cagouled to the max. Neill starts us off with some incredible facts about Glasgow’s whisky past. Unlike the Highlands, Islay and beyond, Glasgow wasn’t central to the distilling of whisky. Instead, it was perfectly situated for blending and exporting. The River Clyde made this possible, with Glasgow being easily accessible to receive shipments from the distilleries in the Highlands and Islands and export further afield.
Neill takes us to points throughout the city, from Clydeside and through the grid-iron centre. These are streets I’ve trodden countless times, but never noticed signage, buildings, having no idea what stood before.
And then it’s time for a light refreshment. The Scotia Bar on Stockwell Street. This is Glasgow’s oldest pub, yet I had never visited. Beamed ceilings and tales of ghostly visions lead us to our first dram, a rather lovely single malt from the Inner Hebrides. Neill has led us through the streets of Glasgow with expert knowledge, but it is with a huge sigh of relief that there is no right and wrong in his view of how whisky should be drunk. Neat. With a few drops of water. With as much water as you like. Scottish Rogue Tours pride themselves on simply allowing people to experience whisky according to their own palate; it’s about accessibility and inclusivity, dipping your toe in the water if you’re a newbie, giving the group some tasting notes if you are a seasoned whisky aficionado.
As we enjoy our beverage, Neill gives us some pointers on how this lovely little liquor came to be.
It’s a more than pleasant way to spend the afternoon. Nip one down and off we go for another cultural wander.
Old and New
At one time Glasgow had numerous distilleries. Some of us may still remember Port Dundas as a working grain whisky distillery, supplying many famous blends before it closed in 2010. But the opening in 2014 of The Glasgow Distillery Company, saw a welcome return of whisky distilling to the city. Such is the quality of whisky being produced there, that in 2020 The Glasgow Distillery company won ‘Scottish Whisky Distillery of the Year’ at the annual Scottish Whisky Awards, only three years after the production of its first 1770 Single Malt.
Arriving at establishment number two, it’s time to up the ante – with one of my favourite 12-year-old single malts from Islay. Neill discusses the process of whisky production, the different casks that the liquid can mature in, the effect on taste and colour. And this gorgeous deep amber offering has all the best notes for me; it’s Christmas pudding in a glass. Suzanne notes that this little number has a little more texture. We are all learning and enjoying our tour to boot.
As we walk to sadly, our last location, Neill talks of how whisky in Glasgow is having a resurgence. The opening of The Clydeside Distillery in 2017 saw a further single malt distillery added to the city. And going on the tour, you get an appreciation of why the site at the Queens’s Dock Pumphouse is so symbolic. History has somewhat looped.
Relax with a Dram
Almost to underline the importance of Glasgow on the whisky map, our last spot is The Scottish Malt Whisky Society on Bath Street. On the tour, we get to visit this private members club and, oh my, is this a great way to end. There are only four of these sites in the UK. Neill waxes lyrically about the humble beginnings of the club – it’s a tale that most certainly could be made into a movie. The array of single cask whiskies is vast. And our last 59% Highland whisky is a belter. I can smell the aroma from the door.
As we sip on our rare little dram, in the beautiful surroundings of the Scottish Malt Whisky Society, we could easily be in the heart of Edinburgh – because we do associate Edinburgh as being at the centre of all things whisky, don’t we? On the Scottish Rogue Tour, I’ve learned just how vital Glasgow has been to the production of whisky. In fact, it was more important from an industrial and commercial perspective than Edinburgh ever was. What a great way to end a lovely Sunday afternoon.
A wander, A chat and a dram. We don’t need to be tourists to go on a tour. I can’t wait to book my next tasting with the Scottish Rogue team.
Slàinte mhath!
