Discover the Lowland Single Malt Whisky

The Lowland single malt style is traditionally light, unpeated, floral, grassy, zesty and overall easy drinking. The Lowland region was known for grain and blended whisky and the area used to be one of the biggest whisky producers in Scotland. Unfortunately, the mass production didn’t work in its favour and the area very quickly gained a reputation for poor-quality single malt. It simply couldn’t compete with the more flavoursome whiskies coming from other regions.

It seems this is still in people’s minds as Lowland whisky is often considered the least favourite. Saying that, the area is growing in whisky production again, and new distilleries are bringing a bit more colour to the typical Lowland whisky style.

Kingsbarns

Kingsbarns Distillery is one of the new additions to the Lowland whisky scene. Its core range includes three expressions, all of which remain inside the Lowland-style category with their light, fruity and sweet flavour profiles. Doocot is light, fruity and floral, Coaltown uses ex-peated casks which bring light, floral peat, and Balcombe is sherry matured yet still light with added cake-spiced elements.

Try: Kingsbarns Bell Rock Cask Strength, 61.1% ABV. The higher ABV and the high percentage of oloroso butts amps up the sweetness and brings in more spice. Think caramelised orchard fruits, pecan pie and caramel sauce.

Glasgow

Glasgow Distillery is one of the most exciting distilleries out there. It is consistently creating exciting flavour-packed spirits. The 1770 single malt whisky range offers rich, fruity and heavily peated (50ppm) options. They tend to use a fair bit of virgin oak in the maturation.

The core range includes two non-peated expressions, The Original, which is rich and fruity, and Triple Distilled, creamy and spiced, as well as their Peated powerhouse finished in PX sherry. But what you need to keep an eye out for is their limited-edition batches with fun cask finishes, from beer to tequila to tokaji and more.

Try: 1770 Cognac Cask Finish, 58% ABV. This is a lightly peated, elegant whisky with notes of apple crumble, toffee, spice and a touch of floral smoke. The stock is limited so shop fast!

Lindores Abbey

Lindores Abbey is the spiritual home of scotch whisky. In 1494, Brother John Cor was noted to have received eight bolls of malt to make Aqua Vitae for King James IV at Lindores Abbey. In modern terms, eight bolls would be equivalent to a staggering 500kg of malt, enough to make 400 bottles of whisky. This is the first written evidence of distillation of scotch whisky.

Lindores Abbey releases use a lot of bourbon and STR casks combined with a third cask type, anything from sherry butts to peated rum to virgin French oak. Its whiskies usually have delicious notes of vanilla, butterscotch, dried fruit and some spice.

Try: Lindores Abbey Thiron, 49.4% ABV. Aged in red wine barriques, bourbon casks and French virgin oak from the Thiron-Gardais area. An excellent value whisky!

Clydeside

Similarly to Lindores Abbey Distillery, Clydeside also uses first-fill bourbon, STR and sherry casks in its production, although these are two very different distilleries. The Clydeside Stobcross release is a combination of bourbon and sherry with notes of fruity sweetness and a touch of white pepper. Overall, Clydeside whiskies are closer to your ‘typical’ Lowland whisky style, especially when compared to the other young Lowland distilleries.

Try: Napier, 46% ABV, is aged solely in sherry casks without being a massive sherry bomb. Expect floral and tropical aromas with orange marmalade, vanilla and warming spices on the palate.

Jackton

Jackton Distillery is the home of Raer whisky, and they filled in their first casks back in 2020. Meanwhile, they have been making blended scotch whisky, gin and vodka. The distillery is located half an hour from Glasgow and is open for tours. They even have accommodation options should you wish to explore the area more.

Try: Raer Amontillado Blended Expression, 40% ABV. Amontillado sherry has a nutty and spicy flavour profile, which works well in whisky maturation.

Daftmill

Daftmill Distillery operates in harmony with the farm where its main business is growing cereals and potatoes and rearing beef cattle. The distillery operates on a seasonal basis around the farming calendar, which means it makes whisky when there’s a quiet(er) period in the farm work. Daftmill releases a winter batch and a summer batch, which are aged over ten years. These whiskies vary from release to release depending on the casks and barley used. Unfortunately, each batch sells out fast and often ends up in collectors’ hands.

Lochlea

Lochlea is a farm distillery like Daftmill, although it brings out single malts more regularly and its oldest release to date is six years old. The Lochlea core release combines ex-bourbon, oloroso sherry and STR casks and it showcases the classic Lowland style. The seasonal range sees whiskies aged in different casks and each crop being an evolution of the spirit as it matures, taking you on the journey of Lochlea.

Try: Lochlea Fallow Editon #3, 46% ABV. Aged in first-fill oloroso sherry butts, this release is full of rich notes of medjool dates, manuka honey, malted bread and sandalwood.

Holyrood

Holyrood Distillery aims to be different, more modern in its whisky-making approach. They play around with different recipes using unique yeasts, speciality malts and production techniques. When it comes to whisky making, their mindset and motto is ‘test, learn, improve, repeat’. We won’t be seeing a core range of whisky releases from the distillery; instead, they are focusing on small-batch releases, allowing the whisky makers to create interesting flavour profiles and push the boundaries of whisky production.

Try: Embra, 43.6% ABV. A triple-cask matured spirit with a variety of yeasts and malts, including chocolate malt, heavily peated malt and passion fruit wine yeast. It’s approachable and only lightly peated.

Bonnington

Bonnington Distillery began whisky production in 2020, making it the first single malt distillery in Leith for nearly 100 years. The new distillery takes its name from the Bonnington House, a military headquarters during the siege of Edinburgh castle.

Some of Bonnington’s core releases are named after John Crabbie and his grandson. John Crabbie was a merchant who was known for whisky blending as well as producing his own single malts at various distilleries. Using the port of Leith as its base, he was able to send his whiskies across the globe. His grandson, Johnny Cree, also became a whisky maker.

Try: Johnny Cree Single Malt, 40%ABV, aged 75% in bourbon, 15% virgin oak and 10% red wine.

Borders

Borders Distillery in Hawick is the first scotch whisky distillery to open in the Borders since 1837. Its single malt uses barley from 12 nearby farms.

While the distillery’s single malt matures, they have come up with a Workshop Series, which allows the distilling team to use their creative skills. So far, Borders Distillery has released two blended scotch whiskies.

Try: The Long and Short of It, 40% ABV. One batch was fermented for only 55 hours and the second for 150 hours. Mixed-berry jam, cranberries and caramel on the nose and plenty of cinnamon, candied grapefruit and passion fruit on the palate.

Eden Mill

Eden Mill was the first to combine both brewing and distilling. The distillery is better known for its gins but with the new distillery site opening just ten minutes from St Andrews, the whisky will certainly get more attention. The new distillery is due to open for visitors in June this year (2025). The new site will offer both gin and whisky tours and the top floor visitor centre will also have a cocktail bar, an ideal place to admire the beautiful Fife landscape.

Due to its brewing practices, it is easy to incorporate different types of malt into whisky production, such as pale malt, chocolate malt and crystal malt. Eden Mill’s style of whisky is described as “Lowland whisky with a Highland heart”.

Annandale

Annandale Distillery (founded in 1830) was reopened in 2014. They have two signature expressions, Man O’Sword (peated) and Man O’Words (unpeated), which pay homage to two iconic Scottish figures: Robert the Bruce and Robert Burns. The unpeated release is described as smooth and sophisticated and closer to Speyside-style than Lowlands, while the peated is a strong and powerful Highland-style whisky.

Try: Man O’Words Sherry Butt 2018, 61.5% ABV. Expect aromas of dried fruit and golden syrup with a malty, herbal and nutty palate. The finish is long with creamy vanilla, winter spices and dried fruit.

Bladnoch

Bladnoch is the most southerly distillery in Scotland. The distillery resumed production in 2017, but it dates to 1817. It makes a mix of styles from grassy, sweet and malty Lowland-style malt to sweet peat.

Try: Bladnoch Vinaya, 46.7% ABV. It’s an easy sipper with orchard fruits nicely balanced with the sweeter notes of chocolate and caramel.

Aisla Bay

Aisla Bay Distillery looks out towards Aisla Craig and Isle of Arran. It is owned by William Grant & Sons, who built it in 2007 to further add to their blends. The distillery also take some of the pressure away from Balvenie Distillery due to the high demand for its whiskies. Hence, the same still shape.

Aisla Bay has been a place of innovation for Brian Kinsman, the malt master. With different production methods they have been able to create several single malt styles, from sweet and light to heavily peated. Unfortunately, it seems there aren’t many single malt bottlings available in shops at the moment.

Glenkinchie

Glenkinchie whisky, also known as the ‘Edinburgh Malt’, represents the Lowland part of Johnnie Walker’s Four Corners of Scotland distilleries. It is said that their single malt gets its inspiration from the fragrant flowers and sun-kissed grass of the garden. Glenkinchie makes a lighter-style whisky with three distinctive tasting notes: wildflowers, dried grass and nutty cereal. Consider it your classic Lowland malt.

Try: Glenkinchie Distillers Edition, 43% ABV – in this release the core single malt is finished in Amontillado sherry casks, which elevates the nutty notes and adds fruity sweetness.

Auchentoshan

Auchentoshan has always triple distilled all its spirit, keeping the Lowland tradition alive. They use a selection of bourbon barrels, sherry casks and wine barriques for ageing. The whisky has been nicknamed ‘breakfast whisky’ due to its easy-sipping qualities. (*drink responsibly…)

Try: Auchentoshan Three Wood, 43% ABV. Matured in bourbon, oloroso and PX sherry casks, offering rich dark fruit, dark chocolate, toffee and spiced oak.

Rosebank

Today, the distillery is making triple-distilled spirit using traditional pot stills and worm tubs, the same way it has always done. Production has been modernised, but the focus still lies on the old Rosebank recipes. By using worm tubs, Rosebank is able to create a heavier spirit character, giving its whisky the quality that earned it the title of King of the Lowlands.

Try: If you visit the distillery, you can experience some of its whisky history by sampling their 30+year-old single malts.

Overall

There is a growing number of distilleries in the Lowlands with many young distilleries waiting for their whisky to reach the desired age. Stirling, Ardgowan and Port of Leith are the latest additions to the Lowland whisky region, but it will be a while for their first single malts to hit the market. If you are looking for single grain whisky, see Girvan Distillery, North British and InchDairnie, which has just released its first rye whisky.

Do you have a favourite Lowland whisky? Have you visited any of the Lowland distilleries?

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