Glenesk

Translation: Valley of the water
Region: (Eastern) Highlands

What a mess....

If this distillery were a human, it would probably suffer from a pronounced split in personality. But one after anonther. Glenesk was originally a flat mill. In 1897, this mill became a malt distillery known as Highland Esk. Only two years later, the distillery was renamed North Esk. During World War I, North Esk was closed, the second converted into a grain distillery. He gave the name Montrose. In 1964, Montrose was rebuilt to a malt distillery - now called Hillside. In 1980, Hillside closed Glenesk - and the distillery closed only five years later. That's what you call a busy life.

A little history

Most of the eventful story has already been told above. It should be noted that the firing license was not renewed after closure in 1985 and fell in 1992. The buildings were partially demolished, the own malting converted and expanded. The resulting large malting plant now belongs to the Belgian Boortmalt Group and produces malt for the surrounding distilleries.

What do I actually have in the glass?

The Glenesk Malt was characterized by a very fresh, ozone note and a pleasant malt sweetness. A whiskey that looks amazingly fresh and lively even in old age.

3 reasons to love Glenesk

1) Because the malt is stimulating like a spring morning.
2) Because the distillery did not have it easy and yet long bravely held.
3) Because a bit of Glenesk still lives on in the malt produced here.

The one drama for the lonely island

The 25-year-old Hillside bottlings of various vintages from the Rare Malts series are a poem - but unfortunately hard to get.

numbers and facts

Address: Kinnabre Road, Hillside, Montrose, Angus DD10 9EP
Founded: 1897 by James Isles
Status: demolished or remodeled
Owner: most recently United Distillers
Capacity:
2 wash stills
2 spirit stills
Water: formerly from the North Esk River
Visitor Center: -
Telephone: -
Website: -