Glenugie
The history of Glenugie, although tumultuous, is fairly typical of a Malt Whisky distillery. Glenugie is located near Peterhead, on the east coast of Scotland, not far from where the River Uige meets the North Sea.
| Information about the Distillery | |
|---|---|
| Scotland, Highlands | |
| -1.793056 57.487778 | |
| Inactive | |
| 1831 | |
| 1983 |
| Average tasting notes Tasting notes |
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The Whisky
Sourcing bottlings from the Eastern Highlands distillery of Glenugie is easier said than done. Since the distillery closed during the big British recession in 1983, bottlings have become rarer and rarer, with their prices increasing exponentially. The distillery never released an official Single Malt Whisky, which is pretty impressive, especially considering that the distillery operated for well over a century. There were a series of independent bottlings performed at the distillery, mainly by Signatory Vintage and Gordon & MacPhail. Some of these are still available on the market, although they are not easily found.
The Production
Wellington Spring, a local water source, provided the water used in the production of Glenugie. Although the exact production capacity of the distillery is unknown, it is estimated that it was around 1’000’000 litres.
The Pot Stills
Glenugie operated with only one wash still and one spirit still for most of its operative life. Sadly, knowledge about the exact measurements and capacities of both was lost when the distillery was demolished. Certain reports speculate that it is most likely that the distillery had 'traditionally' shaped pot stills, with wide, spherical lids and tall conical necks.
Maltings
Glenugie used it’s own floor maltings until 1963, when they were decommissioned. After the decommissioning, Glenugie sourced its maltings from an industrial site. The maltings used in Glenugie’s production were unpeated.
The Warehouse
Today, Glenugie’s warehouses are the only surviving part of the original distillery. During its operational life, Glenugie had nine bonded warehouses, which could hold up to 1.5 million gallons of maturing Malt Whisky. After the distillery decommissioned their floor maltings, the maltings house was converted into a series of warehouses. Glenugie aged its Single Malt in a combination of oak and Sherry casks.
The History
The history of Glenugie, although tumultuous, is fairly typical of a Malt Whisky distillery. Glenugie is located near Peterhead, on the east coast of Scotland, not far from where the River Uige meets the North Sea. Prior to Glenugie’s closure in 1983, the distillery could boast the title of being the furthest easterly distillery in Scotland. The distillery was founded in 1834 by Donald MacLeod & Company on the site of a disused windmill factory. The site was actually originally named 'Invernettie', but later changed it’s name to Glenugie. In 1837, soon after the distillery started producing whisky, a brewery was also established on the site. Not much is known about Glenugie’s history between it’s founding and 1875, when the site was sold to the Highland Distiller’s Company. Sources agree that the new owners completely renovated the site, in order to increase production capacity. The history of Glenugie can be characterized by brief periods of activity followed by long silences. After it’s total renovation, the site closed again in 1879. In 1882, George Whyte and Company bought it, and although documentation for this period is scarce, it seems as if the distillery continued to operate until 1915, when production ceased again.
After laying silent until 1937, when the site was taken over by Seagar Evans & Company, who continued to operate the distillery until 1956, when they were taken over by Schlenley Industries. Schenley increased the number of stills at the site from two to four, and they also replaced the coal firing system with an oil-fired burner. After changing hands one last time to the Whitbread Company, Glenugie was closed in 1983 due to the harsh economic climate and drop in demand for Whisky.
Visitor’s Centre
None. The distillery was demolished in 1985, and only the warehouses remain.
User Notes about the Distillery
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