Glen Mhor 1980

Established across the road from Glen Albyn, after ex-distillery manager John Birnie was refused a share in the distillery. Glen Mhor was his opportunity backed by the sizeable financial clout of the Mackinlay blending company from Leith. Unlike most distilleries, Glen Mhor remained in family hands until the early 1970s when DCL acquired the distillery with Glen Albyn to fill their Highland malt requirements. A decade later both distilleries were closed as part of the 1983 cutbacks. For many years Glen Mhor was championed as a single malt by its owners and received staunch support from Gordon & MacPhail, who still bottle single casks to this day. Its meaty, robust character – allegedly helped by waters from Loch Ness – has won many fans over the decades. Recently, it made world news with the discovery of the Shackleton whiskies found under the Antarctic huts, which were scientifically assessed and confirmed to be from Glen Mhor and from the 1890s and turn of the century. Today, the site of the distillery is a retail space for a carpet shop with a large car park. Quite a loss.