G
lenglassaugh staff celebrate latest milestone following plant’s reopening last month
The first cask of new spirit produced at a north-east distillery in 22 years has been filled.
Staff at Glenglassaugh Distillery, near Portsoy, are celebrating the milestone less than a month after the plant was officially reopened. Managing director Stuart Nickerson said: “Glenglassaugh is one of Scotland’s best malt whiskies and we are proud we have helped resurrect the distillery. Today we are filling casks that we will nurture for many years before they are ready to be appreciated by our discerning consumers.”
The distillery, which was bought earlier this year by Dutch investment group Scaent, was opened last month by First Minister, Alex Salmond.
It was mothballed in 1986 during a period of retrenchment in the whisky industry, but Scaent have invested about £1million to bring the distillery back into operation.
It is hoped up to 20 new jobs will be created at the plant, along with a visitor centre.
At the opening ceremony, Mr Salmond claimed the distillery could be “an engine for the local economy”.
The first samples of the new spirit produced indicate it is of excellent quality and should mature to the high standard expected from Glenglassaugh.
Casks selected for the first filling are a mixture of butts and hogsheads and it will be some years before the whisky is mature enough to bottle.
While customers wait, the distillery plans to release limited quantities of 21-year-old, 30-year-old and 40-year-old whisky to the market.
Mr Nickerson said: “It has been a journey over the past year and to end 2008 on such a high is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the team here.”
