Glenkinchie Distillery
South and East of Edinburgh, where the high, green Lammermuir Hills begin to roll more gently north towards the Firth of Forth, lies the farming country of East Lothian.
Acres of barley grow in this "Garden of Scotland", in fields fed by water softly flowing down from the hills.
The agricultural revolution of the late 18th Century brought this barley to East Lothian in place of coarse crops of little use to distillers; father of the Scottish agricultural revolution John Cockburn pioneered some of the biggest changes locally, at Ormiston. Here, at the heart of the farming community south of Tranent, in the lee of the hills, farmers like the Rate brothers learned from these experiments. They are thought to have begun working on or near this site in 1825, calling their first distillery Milton. The land they farmed had belonged centuries earlier to the de Quincey family, from whose name 'Kinchie' derives. It lay in Lothian, named for King Arthur's brother Lot, who held court nearby on Traprain Law.
The barley they used was often grown on land manured with local seaweed, ripened earlier and was lighter than grain grown elsewhere - qualities soon prized in the Lowland malts made from it. The draff from the distillery long went to feed local cattle in the village of Pencaitland; a prize winning Aberdeen Angus herd grew up on the Glenkinchie Farm.
Glenkinchie was finally rebuilt in the 1890s as the model Victorian distillery village we know today – with its distinctive red brick buildings, houses for workers and even a bowling green.
Tradition has its place here; for example, six wooden washbacks are still used for fermentation, two made from Oregon Pine and four from Canadian Larch.
Glenkinchie's two fat old copper pot stills are also a distinctive feature, among the largest in the industry and together producing 1.3 million litres annually. A single cast-iron worm tub cools the spirit, in preference to a more modern condenser, giving a whisky of greater character and depth.
Today, with just two Lowland distilleries left in production, Glenkinchie™ is the undisputed champion of the light Lowland style. With its interesting visitor centre and charming setting, this also makes an ideal first distillery visit for today's tourists. And with more than 40,000 of them visiting each year, Glenkinchie remains at the centre of Pencaitland life.
Acres of barley grow in this "Garden of Scotland", in fields fed by water softly flowing down from the hills.
The agricultural revolution of the late 18th Century brought this barley to East Lothian in place of coarse crops of little use to distillers; father of the Scottish agricultural revolution John Cockburn pioneered some of the biggest changes locally, at Ormiston. Here, at the heart of the farming community south of Tranent, in the lee of the hills, farmers like the Rate brothers learned from these experiments. They are thought to have begun working on or near this site in 1825, calling their first distillery Milton. The land they farmed had belonged centuries earlier to the de Quincey family, from whose name 'Kinchie' derives. It lay in Lothian, named for King Arthur's brother Lot, who held court nearby on Traprain Law.
The barley they used was often grown on land manured with local seaweed, ripened earlier and was lighter than grain grown elsewhere - qualities soon prized in the Lowland malts made from it. The draff from the distillery long went to feed local cattle in the village of Pencaitland; a prize winning Aberdeen Angus herd grew up on the Glenkinchie Farm.
Glenkinchie was finally rebuilt in the 1890s as the model Victorian distillery village we know today – with its distinctive red brick buildings, houses for workers and even a bowling green.
Tradition has its place here; for example, six wooden washbacks are still used for fermentation, two made from Oregon Pine and four from Canadian Larch.
Glenkinchie's two fat old copper pot stills are also a distinctive feature, among the largest in the industry and together producing 1.3 million litres annually. A single cast-iron worm tub cools the spirit, in preference to a more modern condenser, giving a whisky of greater character and depth.
Today, with just two Lowland distilleries left in production, Glenkinchie™ is the undisputed champion of the light Lowland style. With its interesting visitor centre and charming setting, this also makes an ideal first distillery visit for today's tourists. And with more than 40,000 of them visiting each year, Glenkinchie remains at the centre of Pencaitland life.
- Green Tourism Business Awards - Bronze
The 44B First Bus leaves Edinburgh City Centre (St. Andrew Square) at twenty minutes to each hour the destination is Pencaitland - in the village of Pencaitland get off the bus at the petrol station/Spar Shop in the village and then it is either a two mile walk to the distillery or contact the local taxi on 01875 340805.
See also: Location Map
These details were last updated on Friday 8 June 2007