Glengyle distillery facts for kids
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| Region: Campbeltown | |
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| Location | Campbeltown |
| Owner | Mitchell's Glengyle Ltd |
| Founded | 1872 |
| Water source | Crosshill Loch |
| No. of stills | 1 wash still 1 spirit still |
| Capacity | 750,000 L |
Glengyle distillery is a place in Campbeltown, Argyll & Bute, Scotland, where a special type of Scottish whisky, called Scotch whisky, is made. It has a long and interesting history. The distillery first opened in 1872, but it closed down in 1925. Then, in the year 2000, it was completely rebuilt and reopened! This made it the very first new Scottish distillery to open in the new millennium. The whisky made at Glengyle is known by the name Kilkerran.
Contents
The Early Years of Glengyle
The Glengyle distillery was started in 1872 by a man named William Mitchell. Just one year later, in 1873, a big storm actually blew the roof off the distillery!
William Mitchell had previously worked at another distillery called Springbank distillery. He owned Springbank with his brother, John. But after they had a disagreement, William decided to start his own distillery. He first worked with his other brothers at Reichlachan distillery before creating Glengyle.
Challenges and Closure
After World War I, many businesses faced tough times. This "economic downturn" made it hard for distilleries in the Campbeltown area. Because of these difficulties, Glengyle distillery was sold in 1919. It was put up for sale again in 1923 and finally sold in 1924. By 1925, the distillery had stopped making whisky completely, and all the remaining whisky was sold off.
For many years after it closed, the Glengyle distillery buildings were used for other things, like a rifle range. There were a couple of attempts to reopen the distillery later on. One attempt was made by Sir Maurice Bloch, who also owned the Glen Scotia distillery, but this failed because of World War II. Another attempt in the 1950s also didn't work out.
Glengyle's Return in the 21st Century
In late 2000, a new company called Mitchell's Glengyle Ltd. was created. Their main goal was to fix up and rebuild the Glengyle distillery. This company is connected to the Springbank Distillery, and both are now guided by Mr. Hedley Wright. He is a descendant of the Mitchell family, who were the original owners of both businesses.
Rebuilding the Distillery
Over the next four years, the old buildings were carefully repaired. They were restored to look like they did originally and to fit in with the local area. The buildings also have a special "listed" status, which means they are protected by law because of their historical importance.
Since all the original whisky-making equipment had been sold in the 1920s, new machinery was needed. This included new stills (large pots for distilling), malt mills (for grinding grain), a mash tun (for mixing grain with water), and washbacks (large tanks for fermentation). Interestingly, much of this "new" equipment wasn't brand new. It came from other distilleries that had either closed down or had extra machinery.
How Glengyle Makes Whisky Today
Making whisky at the new Glengyle distillery started in 2004. The first whisky was ready to be bottled and sold around 2014. Glengyle was the first new distillery to open in the new millennium. Its reopening was part of a trend, with other new distilleries like Arran (opened in 1995) and Daftmill (opened in 2005) also starting up around this time.
The Name Kilkerran
The whisky made at Glengyle distillery is not actually called Glengyle. Instead, it is bottled and sold under the name Kilkerran. This is because another company, Loch Lomond Distillers, already owns the name Glengyle for a different type of whisky.
The name Kilkerran comes from an old Scottish Gaelic phrase: Scottish Gaelic: Ceann Loch Cille Chiarain. This means "head of the lake of Saint Kieran's cell." It refers to a place where Saint Kieran is believed to have had a religious cell, which is where modern Campbeltown stands today.
