Have you ever wanted to travel to Scotland with a likeminded group of whisky lovers? Now’s your chance! This summer, September 2-9, we’re co-sponsoring our first-ever whisky-themed trip with Customized Journeys, a boutique travel agency specializing in memorable vacations. Interested in coming along? Check out the trip page here.
Of the many distilleries we’ll visit on our upcoming trip to Scotland, Glenkinchie is the only Lowland member of the bunch. Located in East Lothian, a district of bucolic rural landscapes and gently rolling fields, it’s a quick trip from the brooding city of Edinburgh, yet a world apart.
Glenkinchie Distillery is owned by Diageo. Its malt goes into blends like Haig’s and Dewars, and its flagship 12-year-old single malt (sometimes referred to as the “Edinburgh Malt” for its proximity to the city) is part of Diageo’s Classic Malts of Scotland collection.
The Glenkinchie Distillery in its current form was founded in 1880, although Diageo traces its lineage back to 1825, the year the Milton Distillery commenced production on the same site. East Lothian is known for producing high quality barley, and has long been associated with the brewing and distilling industries. Several distilleries existed in East Lothian during the 1800s, and world-famous Belhaven Brewery is still just a half-hour away.
Yet most distilleries in East Lothian eventually closed, leaving only the tenacious Glenkinchie. It’s one of the few Scottish distilleries that remained in production during World War II, and it’s is one of just a handful of remaining distilleries in the Lowlands, an area that was once a very historically significant source of whisky. Today, the Lowlands are showing signs of growth once again, although it still trails every major Scotch region but one, Campbelltown, for the number of active distilleries.
The Lowlands are often associated with triple distillation and gigantic continuous column stills, but that’s not what we’ll find at Glenkinchie. Just like many of the more famous Highland distilleries, it double-distills its malt on pot stills—colossal ones, including one of the largest wash stills in all of Scotland, holding 30,000 liters.
Contrary to the notion that all Lowland malts are feather-light, Glenkinchie also uses a cast-iron worm tub rather than a more modern condenser, preserving more of the distillate’s character through gentler reflux.
The distillery’s style leans towards the grassy and floral, with a slightly spicy edge. Here’s how Michael Jackson described it: “One of the best-known Lowlanders. The typical regional character is there in its soft grassiness. Perhaps more like lemon grass? Then spicier, with cinnamon and ginger, in a lively finish.”
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It’s a winning combination, earning Glenkinchie 12-Year-Old recognition as the Best Lowlands Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards in 2013, 2014, and 2016. If you come with us for a visit later this year, you’ll be able to decide for yourself if it deserves all those accolades.
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