A visit to The Glenrothes Distillery offers a unique experience that is a far cry from some of its more visitor-friendly contemporaries. — Photos: MICHAEL CHEANG/The Star
It was a nice sunny day in Rothes, Scotland. The sheep were baa-ing nearby as we took a nice morning walk up a hill to see one of the natural spring water sources that are so essential to making The Glenrothes single malt Scotch.
The Brauchhill spring itself was just a little bubbly hole in the ground, but the water that we drew from it was as fresh as the lovely sunny Scottish air around us. It also tasted brilliant when splashed into a dram of Glenrothes 12 Year Old, which we got to enjoy as we basked in the sunshine (a rare occasion in Scotland, we were told).
The Glenrothes 12YO is a lovely dram with a grassy and fruity nose and paste and even some hints of mint, and is the epitome of the distillery’s DNA of a light, fruity spirit which is complex and refined at the same time.
Enjoying The Glenrothes 12YO next to the Brauchhill spring water source.
Founded in 1878 by James Stuart and his business partners in Stuart & Co, namely bank agents William Grant and Robert Dick and solicitor John Cruikshank, Glenrothes is situated in the little town of Rothes, which boasts not one, but four whisky distilleries in its vicinity.
The first whisky ran from The Glenrothes’ stills in 1879, but it has been hit with quite a number of disasters throughout its history, including a ravaging fire in 1897, an explosion in 1903, and a further fire in 1922, that consumed hundreds of gallons of ageing stock. But still it persisted.
The distillery is also a short drive away from another Scotch distillery also under the Edrington portfolio, The Macallan, but is a far cry from the latter's modern state-of-the-art, visitor-friendly experience. For while the Macallan distillery was custom built to incorporate the visitor experience, The Glenrothes doesn’t even have any visitor facilities to speak of. No visitor’s centre, no tours, no gift shop. Just a distillery making some pretty darn good whisky.
The Glenrothes was founded in 1878, and located in the small Scottish town of Rothes.
But it was still a thoroughly unique experience nonetheless, one which started with us putting on knee-high boots and orange worker vests at the Rothes House, an impressively stoic but elegant mansion atop a hill that was the starting point for our journey.
From there, we walk down a peaceful pathway through a cemetery down to the distillery proper, passing by the grave of James Stuart himself along the way.
After the short trip to the Brauchhill spring, we then visited the Glenrothes’ cooperage and warehouses, and also got up close with their wash backs, mash tuns, and stills. We even got to try some low wines and new make along the way, which helped us to understand The Glenrothes' process better, and why their whisky turns out the way it is.
The Rothes House, an impressively stoic but elegant mansion atop a hill that was the starting point for our journey.
Stuart’s initial goal for Glenrothes was to build a distillery that would pioneer cutting edge techniques and harness the latest innovations in whisky making in order to distil a lighter, fruiter spirit than ever before, in pursuit of the perfect blend (this was early on in the era of blended whisky, when the category was becoming increasingly popular in the Scotch market).
While The Glenrothes was originally calibrated for blending, the distillery eventually began to release its own standalone single-malt whiskies around 1994. After an initial period of releasing malts by vintages, the brand revamped its core range to the current age statement in 2018.
The whiskies are mainly sherry matured, like Macallan, but the use of much taller stills and spring water from two natural springs, the Ardcanny and the Brauchhill, give their whiskies a unique fruity, candy-like nature that sets it apart.
The mash tuns at the Glenrothes Distillery.
After our tour, there was a tasting of the Glenrothes, of course.
We started off with the Whisky Maker’s Cut, matured in first-filled sherry-seasoned American and European casks, which despite its 48.8% ABV, was a good starting whisky to introduce drinkers to its signature fruity style.
Then we tried the Glenrothes 18 Year Old, aged in first- and second-filled American and European casks, which for me was a slightly more elegant and refined version of the 12YO.
The Glenrothes 25 Year Old.
The highlight for me, however, was trying the Glenrothes 25 Year Old (first and refilled US And European sherry casks) for the first time.
On the nose, that candy fruitiness is stunning, with more dried dark fruits and sultanas, hints of nuttiness and sherry-influences coming through on the palate. The finish was long and rich, with a perfect balance of honey and dark fruits lingering long after the last dregs of liquid had been downed.
For me, it was the perfect dram to end our visit to the distillery that I think is arguably the best kept open secret in Edrington’s Scotch portfolio.
