Origin: Lowlands (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Gradation: 46%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry
Chillfiltered: No
Added colouring: No
Owner: Morrison Glasgow Distillers Limited
Average price: € 60.00
Official website: www.theclydeside.com
Vote: 82/100
After Lochlea, here is another Lowland debut for a distillery that has chosen Glasgow as its headquarters, and not by chance.
Thanks to the river Clyde and the docks built under John Morrison’s supervision at the end of the 19th century, business in the city has always been very fervent, as well as whisky production, but after a century of prosperity Queen’s Dock was abandoned altogether, including the pump that was used to raise and lower the bridge for the passage of boats.
In 2011 the story changed, with Tim Morrison (great-grandson of John and with a name linked to the history of Bowmore, now owner of AD Rattray) who bought the structure to build a distillery, a project that was not easy to implement and was only completed in 2016, with the first new make produced the following year.
So here we have Clydeside’s first single malt, released in late 2021, made from barley from seven Lowland farms and matured in a mix of American and European casks, with the name paying homage to the street where the distillery is based.
Tasting notes
The nose proudly releases its sweet and fruity nature, with a mouthwatering custard sponge cake with pineapple, mango, pear and a drop of honey. There are signs of youth with an undertone of malt, yeast and herbaceous veins, but they are well integrated and contribute to the fullness of the nose.
In the mouth it reveals a stronger character, with a good dose of pepper lashing a fairly robust body in which the fruit reverses the dominance of the tropical part in favour of apple, pear and lemon. There is a hint of liquorice root and again a consistent carpet of malt and herbaceous tones on which the flavours rest.
Not very long finish of malt, fruit, liquorice, lemon, herbaceous notes.
It’s hard to be surprised by a whisky that is less than four years old, which can’t and doesn’t even want to be a cornerstone of Scotch, but it’s still a calling card for a new distillery, and Clydeside shows it knows how to do this with casks that integrate well with a distillate that already seems to have a good structure.
The premises are good, the future will tell whether they will be maintained (or surpassed).