I love Glenglassaugh and the entire spirit behind what makes it great! It's had a difficult road to get to where it is now, making beautiful whisky with distinct character, and it seems to have been worth the journey.
Glenglassaugh was first opened in 1875 by Colonel James Moir on the edge of Sandend bay just outside of Portsoy. After the unfortunate death of Colonel Moir, Glenglassaugh changed hands a few times before being purchased by the Highland Distilleries Company. While the distillery's reputation was solid for a long time, the whisky industry saw a significant drop in demand and Glenglassaugh closed in 1907.
The stills at the distillery remained silent for a long time, though the building remained used in some capacities, including by the military during the Second World War. By the time Highland Distilleries was ready to re-open Glenglassaugh in 1960, Highland was focused on creating quality blended whisky and the idea was to use Glenglassaugh for this purpose. Its use had to be limited as Glenglassaugh proved to have a very complex character. Despite their best efforts over a long period of experimentation, Highland Distilleries was unable to change the character of Glenglassaugh to fit their blending needs and the distillery was once again closed in 1986.
In February 2008, Glenglassaugh was once again reopened. While many refurbishments took place, the mash tuns, washbacks and stills remained in working order and their first cask of new spirit was filled on December 16th, 2008.
Glenglassaugh released various expressions upon their re-opening, but the first release of their new product, released in 2012, was appropriately titled Glenglassaugh Revival. That same year, Glenglassaugh Evolution was released, this time matured in Ex-Tennessee casks. In 2013, the BenRiach Distillery Company purchased Glenglassaugh, releasing 30 and 40 year old expressions. Soon after, in 2016, Brown-Forman purchased BenRiach, GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh and have continued the tradition of excellence from all three of these distilleries.
Most recently, Glenglassaugh released their first ever lineup of wood finishes. This lineup features a Peated Virgin Oak Wood Finish, a Pedro Ximinez Sherry Wood Finish, a Peated Port Wood Finish and a Port Wood Finish. As Glenglassaugh's character continues to grow as their new stock continues to age, there's no telling what amazing and exciting expressions are yet to come!
Check out Glenglassaugh Evolution at the LCBO today!
Comments