Glengyle Distillery (Kilkerran), Campbeltown: The Reborn Third
Glengyle (Kilkerran) at a glance
| Region | Campbeltown (Kintyre) |
| Founded | 1872 — revived 2004 |
| Owner | Mitchell’s Glengyle (family) |
| Visitor centre | Yes — small |
| Tours | Kilkerran tours ~twice daily Mon–Sat — book |
| Opening | Mon–Sat, two slots — check the website |
| Website | kilkerran.scot |
Overview
Glengyle is the third and youngest of Campbeltown’s three surviving distilleries, alongside Springbank and Glen Scotia — and its rebirth is a big part of why Campbeltown still counts as a whisky region at all. Because the “Glengyle” name was in use elsewhere, its single malt is sold as Kilkerran: a lightly-peated, fruity Campbeltown style.
The history
The original Glengyle was founded in 1872 by William Mitchell — of the same family that owns Springbank — but it closed in the 1920s during Campbeltown’s long collapse from “whisky capital of the world” to near-nothing. In 2004 it was revived by Hedley Wright, a Mitchell descendant and owner of Springbank, expressly so that Campbeltown would have the three working distilleries needed to keep its status as a distinct whisky region. Its whisky is made largely by the Springbank team.
The water & the land
Like its two Campbeltown neighbours, Glengyle draws its water from Crosshill Loch, the reservoir in the hills above the town that supplies all three. Lightly-peated malt gives Kilkerran its gentle, fruity smoke.
Glengyle has no clan founding — it is a Mitchell family venture — and its brand name comes not from a clan but from Ceann Loch Cille Chiarain, “St Ciaran’s church at the head of the loch”, the old Gaelic name of the Campbeltown site. The wider Kintyre, though, was Clan Donald country — the Lords of the Isles’ land — until James VI granted it to the Campbells, Earls of Argyll, in 1607; it was the Earl who founded the burgh of Campbeltown itself.
Visiting
Glengyle has a small visitor centre and runs Kilkerran tours roughly twice daily, Monday to Saturday, which should be booked; check the website. It sits within a short walk of Springbank and Glen Scotia, so all three of Campbeltown’s distilleries can be taken in together.
Nearby & more whisky
- Campbeltown’s famous family distillery: Springbank
- The third Campbeltown distillery: Glen Scotia
- The whole picture: Scotch whisky — regions, distilleries & the oldest of all
Sources
- Glengyle distillery — Wikipedia.
- Kilkerran / Mitchell’s Glengyle.