The Clydeside Distillery

About the distillery

The Clydeside Distillery is located by the River Clyde in Glasgow, right where the city’s old harbour district met the trade routes of Scotch whisky. It’s a city distillery with a clear Lowland identity, and the experience is built around both the history of Queen’s Dock and the work with single malt whisky. Here, you can follow the process from spirit to finished whisky and taste the distillery’s style in-house.

History

The story begins in 1863, when John Morrison from Morrison & Mason helped build Queen’s Dock in Glasgow. This family connection also reappears in the distillery’s water history, because John was also connected to Loch Katrine, which today supplies the water used in production. Many years later, this Clyde and harbour connection was brought together again when The Clydeside was established in 2017. The distillery thus stands as a modern continuation of an older Glasgow story, where harbour, transport, water supply, and whisky are closely intertwined.

Raw materials and production

Production is based on malted barley and water from Loch Katrine in the West Highlands, which is transported to Glasgow for distilling. The distillery describes its whisky-making as hand-crafted and based on traditional methods, and in the visitor experience, guests get to see every step in the making of the spirit that becomes Clydeside Single Malt Whisky. A special feature is the short annual two-week period, during which peated spirit is distilled. This allows the distillery to work with a smoky character as a deliberate contrast to the rest of the more clean, fruit-driven style.

Maturation and cask types

Fortnight Peated is matured for over six years, and it is clearly positioned as part of the core range. In addition, there is a deliberate selection of casks used to mature new make spirit into single malt whisky. The text emphasizes precision and that maturation should support both the clean house style and, where relevant, a more peated expression.

Whiskies

The portfolio presents itself as a small, clearly defined range of single malts with a classic core and a few extensions. Fortnight Peated is described as part of the core range and marks the annual peated production. Stobcross is used as a central name in the distillery’s offerings and points to a floral, fruity style, while Napier is mentioned as another name in the world of whisky. Overall, the character is Lowland-like, clean, and fruit-driven, but with room for smoke and spice.

The style and flavor profile of the whiskies

The style centers on floral and fruit-driven notes, where Stobcross is described as having a floral and orchard fruit character. Fortnight Peated adds gentle smoke, stone fruit, and vanilla to the picture, while the palate shifts to bright citrus and heather honey, before the finish brings it all together with warm spice and peat. This creates a profile that balances fresh fruit, honey, smoke, and spice without losing the clean underlying tone.

Visit the distillery

The Clydeside Distillery can be visited with a guided tour of 1 hour. The Clydeside Tour costs £19.50 for adults and includes a walkthrough of the Dockside Story, a presentation of whisky production, and a guided tasting of three drams. There are reduced prices for students and pensioners, ticket options for children and families, as well as free entry for infants. Booking takes place via bookingdiary, and the distillery office can also be called. The distillery also has a Whisky Bar.
See times and book a visit.

Philosophy and craftsmanship

The distillery’s approach is clearly rooted in Glasgow, in the family’s history, and in a belief in traditional methods. The water from Loch Katrine connects the production both to the city’s supply and to the Morrison family’s past, and the short annual peated period shows that the distillery consciously works with contrasts in its house style. The result should be a clean, fruit-driven spirit, where craftsmanship and place carry the flavor.