The Glenglassaugh Distillery, near Portsoy in Aberdeenshire, has reported a turnover of £1m and a profit of £100,000 in 2011. A whisky distillery which closed for 20 years or so has made its first profit three years after re-opening boosted by strong sales overseas. Glenglassaugh was opened in 1875 but mothballed in 1986 by its then owner the Edrington Group. The distillery was bought by a group of private investors in 2008. Just weeks ago the company launched the first bottling of its single malt Scotch whisky called Revival. While it was maturing, Glenglassaugh focused on selling a stock of around 500 casks of high quality spirit which had been acquired along with the distillery, a good few Angels members now own at least one cask. Managing Director, Stuart Nickerson, said: "It had been expected that it would take at least seven years and possibly as much as 10 years for Glenglassaugh to turn a profit. There are two distinct areas which, we believe, have enabled this to happen. The first is the extent of overseas sales and the fact that we are selling into 25 different countries. The second key to our success has been to sell small casks - octaves - to both corporate and private customers. The barrels are filled with spirit and are left to mature for up to seven years. Customers range from international whisky clubs to brides looking for a special wedding present for their husband-to-be." Glenglassaugh Distillery is an iconic single malt Scotch whisky distillery located just beyond the Speyside region in Scotland, close to the town of Portsoy and picturesquely high above the dramatic Sandend Bay. Local barley and good supplies of pure water ensure that whisky of the highest quality is made here (I know, have tasted lots if it! PM). Glenglassaugh was founded in 1875 by a local entrepreneur and his two nephews. In 1892 the distillery was sold to Highland Distilleries Company who owned and operated it for many years. In 1960 the distillery was rebuilt and enlarged. In 1986 it was mothballed and remained silent awaiting its fate. In 2008 the distillery was purchased by a new group of investors and following a refurbishment was reopened later that year. The distillery is now fully operational. Award-winning whiskies and younger spirit drinks are available to purchase from the distillery, MCLEANSCOTLAND take tours there and assist Angel members all over Scotland.  We are friends with Glenglassaugh and have enjoyed a dram with Stuart and Ronnie on many an occasion both here and abroad at shows.

Glenglassaugh Revival The first single malt scotch whisky distilled from the re-furbished Glenglassaugh distillery. Non-chill filtered, no colour has been added - bottled on site at Glenglassaugh distillery.I do like the new packaging too (PM). Aye but what is it like? I hear you ask ... well, after a speedy collection of a bottle here are my thoughts (Paul McLean); lovely colour, now when I say that, its not to influence anyone at all, as colour really has not the greatest influence on me in buying a dram. Sniffs and whiffs of caramel and toffee, some sherry, milk chocolate and possibly honey plum and more fruit. Matured in first and refill bourbon casks before a final 6 months finishing in first fill Oloroso sherry butts, ending at 46%. My advice; get one (or two)! Glenglassaugh; “At long last we have managed to release our first whisky, Revival, made entirely since we re-started in 2008 and which is widely available. For us at the distillery it seems to have been a long time in coming and we have taken great care in the preparation of the product and the packaging so that we delivered a quality product of which we were proud. For those of you who have yet to try it, the whisky is a marriage of first fill and refill casks which have been finished for 6 months in first fill Oloroso sherry casks. The result is a robust whisky, sweet and fruity while rounded and creamy with perfect balancing sherry notes and a slight whiff of sea-air. While we were pleased with the finished product the real test is how it would be received by customers and we have been extremely pleased by the very positive feedback which included some great tasting reviews from writers and bloggers and a fantastic bronze award in the under £35.00 category at the Scottish Field Awards. One reaction we have had is a request for an another contrasting whisky and we will shortly release another whisky which has also been produced since the refurbishment but this one will be limited release so once it has all been sold then that will be it. More information on this one soon”.

Many thanks to Stuart and all at Glenglassaugh for their help in this feature, we encourage you all to visit, of course we can help with that, please just ask us! You can read an interview with Ronnie and Angels here

PS  I do like those distillery tops, reminds me of the Irish Rugby tops, very similar.  I also have the remnants of a Managers Legacy Jim Cryle 1974 bottle. I have bottle number 199/200. 52.9% and sadly, only 1/3 of a bottle left.

  
   
 

New Team Members Like all small businesses we have been very prudent in terms of employing people and that is why we all end up doing a number of jobs, including helping out in warehousing or bottling or taking tours. However with the increase in bottling activity, mainly due to Revival, we recruited someone dedicated to bottling and packing and Jayne Smith joined us at the start of the year although she had been here on a temporary basis for some months previously. Jayne hails from Portsoy and is a very welcome addition to the team  In warehousing we have been looking for a permanent team member for over a year now and have finally recruited Robbie Mackay, who previously worked for a local soft drink manufacturer. He has been a great addition to the team and is mastering the skills required at an astonishingly quick rate. Over the last two years, we have concentrated on growing our business in new markets around the world and this has inevitably led to some areas not receiving the support that they deserve. We therefore decided to recruit another member of the team to help grow our business in Europe and were very lucky to find that the “Young Brand Ambassador in 2012 – Icons of Whisky Awards” was available and keen to join us. I am therefore delighted to announce that Susan Colville, previously with Weymss Malts, AD Rattray and Douglas Laing has joined the team as European Brand Development Manager and many of you will meet here over the next few months as she visits festivals and carries out tastings in Europe. It is also pleasing to note that she has already spent time in distilling, warehousing and bottling so we have ensured that we have extra cover if someone is off (not sure that she was aware that this was part of the contract).

Chosen Few After the success of the last Chosen Few, we are just about to release the next one. This time it is a 1978 refill sherry cask which has spent the last 12 months of its life in a first fill Oloroso. It is another complex whisky where there is evidence of sherry but this does not overpower the whisky and instead it balances well with the classic Glenglassaugh fruit flavours and the spices that come from the wood. It will again be bottled at cask strength and without the use of colouring and with no use of chill filtration. The whisky has been chosen by Mhairi McDonald who is the production manager at the distillery and who many of you will have met if you have visited here, as she often takes people round the distillery. I can also give you advance warning of another, much younger Chosen Few, which will appear later this year. This one has been chosen by the oldest member of the team, Ronnie Lawrence, who is currently finishing the transformation of the old office block into a new visitor centre The whisky has been chosen by Mhairi McDonald who is the production manager at the distillery and who many of you will have met if you have visited here, as she often takes people round the distillery. I can also give you advance warning of another, much younger Chosen Few, which will appear later this year. This one has been chosen by the oldest member of the team, Ronnie Lawrence, who is currently finishing the transformation of the old office block into a new visitor centre.

Massandra Single Cask range. This time, our UK Account Manager, Ronnie Routledge tells us a bit about the Madeira cask release.

Introducing the Massandra Connection - Our newest range of Single Casks which have been finished for 18months in a variety of different wine casks from the Massandra Winery in Crimea.