1770 Glasgow Single Malt Release No. 1

Odd, but I get banana taffy on the finish. Oak comes through strongly. Prefer it without water.

Welcome to the Scottish Lowland’s (technically, since Glasgow is considered in the lowland region) newest distillery: Glasgow Distillery. It was founded in 2012 and they released this bottle, called 1770, in 2018. The single malt contained herein is a blend of mostly 4-5 year old juice. This is the first release from the distillery and it was made from whisky aged in ex-bourbon casks before a short, finishing treatment in virgin oak casks. It’s non-chill filtered, but has some added color, and was bottled at 46%. A total of 5,000 bottles were filled and distributed by the distillery through a pre-sale order. Demand was so high that they stopped the bottling at 5,000 and limited buyers to just one bottle per person. They have since upped production and made a second release with a 2019 Vintage declaration on the label and they are also in the process of releasing a peated version of the 1770 line. This is a deep gold in color with very thin legs, while appearing oily with fast-running legs. The nose is grassy and biscuity, with vanilla creams and butterscotch candies forming the sweet aspect. The ABV is well-hidden along with the barrel notes. I expected more wood presence with the virgin oak finishing, but it truly must’ve been quick and meant just to keep the sweetness in check. The palate is orchard fruit prominence: green apples, pears and pressed raisins. Butterscotch candy also adds some depth, even if it is mostly a rich and creamy aspect. By mid sip it begins to turn hot with a drier than expected mouth feel. Some fresh oak appears to finally add a backbone. It never truly reaches a luscious feeling, but it also isn’t overly harsh or abrasive. That’s a promising start to a new whisky from a brand new distillery. The finish is medium length with some wood and pepper spice finally asserting itself, while a very nice orange and blackberry jam flavor lingers into the final moments. It’s delicious and a very pleasant surprise. Overall, this is an exciting start to a brand-spanking new distillery. It won’t wow you with depth, but I gotta think that a 12-15 year old example that’s been matured in quality ex-bourbon casks will offer up some serious complexity down the road. I’m also curious as to how well this stuff will take to some rich, Oloroso sherry cask finishing. Lowland whisky usually pairs well with softer sherry and red wine casks, so I hope this is in the works for Glasgow. I could become another quality, Lowland whisky supplier. This pour, thanks to my buddy @PBMichiganWolverine, is an exciting start and a quality dram. Something tells me a lot of these bottles won’t get opened and enjoyed, however, as it’s the inaugural release and collectors have already hoarded a lot of these away. Sadly, I missed my chance to do this. 3.75 stars. Cheers, my friends.

There’s a few lessons you learn in life as you get older. Invest early. Save for retirement. Nothing beats a good education ( except a trust fund). Be a great husband and father, and you’ll raise amazing kids. And don’t buy first releases from brand new distilleries, cause it’ll be shit and over priced. This is one of those. This is marketed as Glasgow’s first distillery in ages ( 100 years?), and the newest Lowlander. Thankfully I only bought a sample, and not the full bottle. It’s obviously young: mild raw plastic aroma, with some shortbread thrown in for good measure. Taste has some ways to go—-all I got was Cheerios, and a weak floral taste. I totally understand the need to generate revenue immediately, but this one can benefit from a few more good years in the barrel. Since it’s the first release, it might be better suited for a buy-hold-sell strategy by collectors. For rest of us...move on, nothing to see here.