Glasgow’s distilleries, until the opening of its new single malt plant, were kept largely out of the public eye, which was challenging given that one of them, Port Dundas, was a large, conspicuous building atop a hill. However, its other – and now only – grain distillery has remained more discreet.
Strathclyde distillery is located in the Gorbals on the south side of the River Clyde, across from Glasgow Green. It’s interesting to note that a facility so reliant on steam would be situated near the park where James Watt was inspired to create his steam engine.
Built in 1927 on the site of an old cotton mill, Strathclyde was initially established by London distiller Seager Evans to produce neutral grain spirit for its gins. In 1936, Seager Evans expanded into Scotch whisky by acquiring the Long John brand.
In 1957, like many grain distilleries, Strathclyde added a malt plant – Kinclaith – within its operations. This plant ran until 1975 when it was dismantled to make room for a two-phase expansion of the grain and neutral spirit production. Simultaneously, the firm’s blending and warehousing site next door was also demolished.
Long John Distilleries, Seager Evans’ whisky division, changed hands several times, eventually becoming part of Allied Distillers. By this point, Strathclyde had also been supplying grain for Ballantine’s and Teacher’s blends. It is now part of Chivas Brothers and remains surprisingly unnoticed by those walking along the Clyde.
