WHEN David Robertson graduated in 1990, he was the only distiller on his course at Heriot Watt University. The famous brewing and distilling MA, one of the best of its kind, has spawned countless craft brewers but the tide has been turning. The majority of today’s graduates want to make ardent spirits, as they used to be called.
New distilleries are sprouting up across Scotland, and many more are being dreamt of. Robertson, the son of a distillery manager, who has worked in the industry for Diageo, Whyte & Mackay and others, is about to take the plunge with his own whisky-making venture in Edinburgh. “It’s both exciting and terrifying,” he tells me as he waits for planning consent to turn the old Engine Shed beneath Salisbury Crags into the Holyrood Park distillery.
The last drop of malt whisky made in the city was in 1925 as far as Customs & Excise is aware. Maybe there is still some moonshine being produced, perpetuating a rich tradition from the 18th century when it is said there were 400 distillers in town, of whom only eight were licensed. As Robertson says: “If you go back to the days of Auld Reekie I imagine you could easily have your own illicit still on the High Street and no-one would notice.”
Edinburgh’s giant North British grain distillery is still going, but it’s not exactly a tourist attraction. For visitors this leaves the Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre by the castle, which obviously doesn’t produce any spirit, or a trip out to Pencaitland and the nearest distillery, Glenkinchie. Robertson reckons there’s a big gap in the market, and if all goes to plan he will be up and running by early summer 2017.
Glasgow and the surrounding area have a new distillery in Hillington making Makar gin, with a single malt in the pipeline. Its CEO, Liam Hughes, was partly inspired by the micro-distilling boom in America where there are now as many as 1,700 micro-distilleries. He believes the trend is blowing this way, but admits it’s early days. Apparently there are just 16 Scottish craft distillers at present, four of whom are making whisky.
But there’s good news from Glasgow’s other planned distillery on the Clyde which stalled due to unforeseen costs. Apparently a renewed planning application has just been approved.
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