Glenglassaugh Revival

A story of rebirth and renewal.

Glenglassaugh Distillery was built in 1875 on Sandend Bay, about 60 miles east of Inverness. For more than a century this rustic distillery produced a single malt that was 100% absorbed into blends, including Cutty Sark, The Famous Grouse, and Laing’s. But by 1986 larger and more modern facilities outstripped it and the owners mothballed the whole place. But in 2008 the Scaent Group bought the site, released older casks in storage to great reviews, and then refurbished everything to return to a broad range of single malt production. Brown-Forman owns them today.

Glenglassaugh Revival is the first release of new single malt spirit since the stills were turned back on — and a good one it is. Notably, it’s aged in a mix of ex-Wine and ex-Bourbon casks. Those casks are vatted and then re-casked in Sherry butts. This combination yields a warm copper-gold appearance. It also makes the flavor stand out with plum & berry notes from the Wine casks and rich nuts, toffee, and chocolate notes from the Sherry casks. Any way you slice it, Glenglassaugh Revival is a really solid Highland single malt …reborn.

Smartass Corner:
In 2010, noted Whisky writer Ian Buxton wrote a book about the revitalization of Glenglassaugh Distillery titled, “Glenglassaugh: A Distillery Reborn.”