Glenesk (Hillside) 1971

Glenesk never really achieved a presence and that’s confirmed by the numerous names that it was also known by. Hillside being one example but also Montrose, Highland Esk and North Esk. It began life in 1897 at the height of the last whisky boom, after being converted from its original purpose of a flax mill. For a time, it was an important component of the Vat 69 blend and for a time after 1938, it was actually producing grain whisky, adding to the confusion about the distillery. The then owner, Joseph Hobbs, was notorious for doing odd things with his distilleries – as seen at Ben Nevis which also produced grain for a while and had concrete washbacks. Moving back to malt production in the 1960s, the future of Glenesk arrived a decade later when large maltings were built on the site. The distillery closed in 1985 and was demolished for residential housing, leaving the maltings to continue to this day.