LowlandSingle Malt Scotch Whisky
The Lowlands – like most of Scotland – were once a thriving hub of malt whisky production, until the need for grain to drive blended Scotch production made making single malt an almost forgotten art. But a few outposts preserve the old ways and a grassy, easy-drinking style of malt that still has many admirers.
Decline and fall
Mass production was the enemy of single malt production in the Lowlands – including Edinburgh and Glasgow – with distillers earning the region a bad reputation in the 18th and 19th centuries by flooding the market with poor-quality spirit.
Already impacted by the rise in popularity of blends – suffering in comparison with their more ‘characterful’ Highland rivals – Lowland malt distilleries were dealt further blows by tax hikes, the First World War and the onset of Prohibition in the US.
Gripped by grain
These factors ruined the finances of many distillers, leading them to close their facilities or refocus on making grain spirit to be combined with Highland and Island malts for the rising number of blended Scotch brands.
Survival of the fittest
Thankfully, a few hardy Lowland distilleries survived the bad times, continuing to produce the gentle, grassy and easy-drinking single malts that are the signature style of the region, including Glenkinchie just east of Edinburgh and Auchentoshan on the outskirts of Glasgow – whose triple-distilled whisky offers an echo of Lowland distillation history.
There are new arrivals, too: tiny Daftmill in Fife, which began production in 2003, and Ailsa Bay on the Clyde coast; a much bigger affair and – perhaps appropriately given its Lowland location – with all of its production destined for blends. Another distillery, Annandale in Dumfriesshire, is slated to open later in 2014.
Did you know?
- almost all Lowland single malt was triple-distilled at one time, but these days, only Auchentoshan uses the technique for all of its production
- Daftmill is a Lowland malt because of its location in the borough of Fife – but is several miles further north than Highland distilleries Deanston, Glengoyne, Loch Lomond and Tullibardine
- Ailsa Bay, the largest malt distillery in the Lowlands, is also one of the biggest in Scotland, with a capacity of 12m litres a year – but it’s all used for blends
Typical Character and Style of Lowland
- Grass
- Honeysuckle
- Cream
- Toffee
- Toast
- Cinnamon
Distilleries in Lowland
Filter
Price Range
Bottling Status
Distillery/Brand
Age
Vintage
Cask Type
Bottler
Series
Strength
Size
Single Cask
Limited Edition
Flavour Profile
Colouring
Sustainability
Kingsbarns Dream to Dram Glass Set
$52.03
($74.33 per litre)
Lochlea Our Barley
$47.78
($68.25 per litre)
Annandale 2017Ex-Sherry Butt Cask #1088 Peated Man O' Swords
$63.72
($91.03 per litre)
Auchentoshan 199922 Year Old Signatory
$345.45
($493.50 per litre)
Bladnoch 19 Year Old2022 Release
$175.38
($250.55 per litre)
Lowland 200713 Year Old Single Malts of Scotland Reserve Casks Parcel 7
$66.91
($95.59 per litre)
Ailsa Bay Sweet SmokeGlass Set
$65.10
($93.01 per litre)
Glenkinchie 2007 Distillers EditionBot.2019
$74.35
($106.22 per litre)
Bladnoch Samsara
$84.98
($121.40 per litre)
Glenkinchie 199020 Year Old
$265.73
($379.62 per litre)
Lowland Single Malt 201310 Year Old Gleann Mor Rare Find
$79.67
($113.81 per litre)
Auchentoshan 12 Year OldBot.1980s Square Bottle
$211.52
($282.03 per litre)
Auchentoshan 198932 Year Old Finn Thomson
$451.74
($645.35 per litre)
Rosebank 21 Year OldFascination
$3,188.78
($4,555.39 per litre)
SMWS 25.4 (Rosebank)1978 13 Year Old Bot.1991 Sherry Cask
$7,971.94
($10,629.25 per litre)
Kinclaith 196951 Year Old Duncan Taylor Rarest of the Rare
$11,957.91
($17,082.73 per litre)
Bladnoch Alinta
$84.98
($121.40 per litre)
Glenkinchie 2009 Distillers EditionBot.2021
$70.95
($101.36 per litre)
Auchentoshan 199130 Year Old Blackadder Statement No. 49
$611.18
($873.12 per litre)
Lindores Abbey MCDXCIV
$49.69
($70.99 per litre)
Littlemill Testament 1976Bot.2020
$8,503.40
($12,147.72 per litre)
St Magdalene 196418 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice
$1,913.27
($2,551.02 per litre)
St Magdalene 196418 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice
$2,125.85
($2,834.47 per litre)
Littlemill 40 Year Old2018 Release
$5,846.09
($8,351.55 per litre)