STILL THE SAME

Picture: Martin Shields. Courtesy of Evening Times, Glasgow

Glengoyne has just invested £100,000 on two brand-new stills.

After 20 years in production, the trusty copper stills had lost their seven millimetres thick coatings as the whisky-making process gradually stripped them of their density.

To ensure the new stills produce a genuine Glengoyne dram, the bashes and bruises of the old ones have been painstakingly recreated.

The distillery was closed at the beginning of the year to allow the stills to be shoehorned into the building.

Made by Abercrombie in Stirlingshire, they stand over ten feet.

Incidentally, Glengoyne could soon be the picturesque setting for BBC Scotland's comedy, Still Game. The producers have approached the distillery to shoot an episode at the Dumgoyne plant, featuring Jack and Victor .

GLENGOYNE GETS A MAKEOVER

The Whisky Wall at Glengoyne Distillery

Glengoyne is embarking a complete makeover for the distillery that should make it one of the most varied and comprehensive distillery experience ever.

The work, which is expected to be completed by May, will see the existing manager’s house transformed into a brand new venue offering a state-of-the-art sampling room, impressive Club Room and fully-equipped meeting room.

The Sample Room will be spectacular in its design. Each wall will be lined with an array of sample bottles containing whiskies at different stages of maturation from Glengoyne’s many thousands of casks. There will also be the opportunity for visitors to create their own unique blend of whisky, under the watchful eye of the sample room blender.

The Club Room, which will be decorated using hand-printed furnishings from designers Timorous Beasties, will offer a place for tour visitors to relax, drink in their surroundings and learn more about the award-winning malt.

The Meeting Room will offer facilities for up to 24 people and will be aimed at companies (or clubs!!) looking for an unusual venue for meetings or presentations.

It is likely that as part of the distillery developments a new menu of tours will also be launched later in the year. These are expected to include a cask-tasting tour and, says the distillery, 'the most hands on and in-depth distillery tour in the history of the industry'.

Glengoyne is also to increase its output by 130,000 to 840,000 litres. This means that output has doubled since Ian Macleod acquired the distillery in April 2003.

We should perhaps pencil in June or thereabouts for a club outing!

For further information contact Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd on tel: 01506 852205 or www.glengoyne.com