The Glasgow Distillery: Reviving a 1770 Name

Overview

The Glasgow Distillery brought single malt whisky-making back to Scotland’s biggest city for the first time in about a century. Its founders, Liam Hughes and Mike Hayward, joined by Ian McDougall, formed the company in December 2012. They named it after the old Glasgow Distillery Company, which ran the Dundashill distillery in the 1820s. Its single malts carry the name 1770, the year Glasgow’s first recorded distillery opened. The distillery is in Hillington on the city’s south-west side. It is also known for Makar Gin.

Where it is

The distillery is on the Hillington industrial estate, about 5 miles west of the city centre, close to the M8 and Glasgow Airport. Paisley is about 3 miles west. It’s an industrial setting, but within easy reach of Glasgow’s other distilleries and some of its oldest monuments.

The full history

Dundashill and Glasgow’s lost distilleries

Glasgow was a great whisky city: a blending capital and a port. It also distilled. The first notable distillery, at Dundashill near Port Dundas on the Forth and Clyde Canal, dates from about 1770. From 1825 to 1832 it was run by the Glasgow Distillery Company. Dundashill kept distilling through the Victorian era before closing at the start of the 20th century, around 1902. Port Dundas later became a big grain distillery, which closed in 2010.

2012–2015: a new Glasgow distillery

Liam Hughes and Mike Hayward wanted single malt to return to the city. They set up the new Glasgow Distillery Company in December 2012, reviving the old name. The distillery took shape in a unit at Hillington. Makar Gin came first, in 2014, and whisky production began in early 2015.

1770 single malt

The first single malt, named 1770, was released in 2018 and sold out in under two weeks. The 1770 range includes unpeated, peated and triple-distilled versions, along with cask finishes. The company has grown to include a range of gins and other spirits.

How it’s made

The Glasgow Distillery uses copper pot stills. It produces both unpeated and peated spirit, and some is triple-distilled in the old Lowland style. The spirit is matured mainly in first-fill and virgin oak casks.

Kings, queens & clans

• Crookston Castle, about 2 miles south-east, is one of the oldest castles in Glasgow. It was owned by the Stewarts of Darnley. Mary, Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley are said to have stayed there after their marriage in 1565. See Clan Stewart.
• The Battle of Langside, 1568. About 4 miles east, Mary’s last army was defeated by the Regent Moray. She fled to England and never returned. See Battle of Langside.
• Paisley Abbey, 3 miles west, was founded in 1163 by Walter fitz Alan, the first High Steward of Scotland, ancestor of the Stewart kings.

Churches, stones & lochs

• The Govan Stones, Govan Old Parish Church, about 3 miles away: a remarkable collection of early medieval carved stones, including the Govan Sarcophagus and five Viking-age hogback gravestones. They are relics of the British kingdom of Strathclyde. See our standing stones guide.
• Glasgow Cathedral, founded on the site of St Mungo’s church, is the only medieval cathedral on the Scottish mainland to survive the Reformation almost intact.
• Loch Lomond, about 40 minutes north-west, is the nearest of the great lochs. See our lochs guide.

Visiting

The Glasgow Distillery has no dedicated visitor centre, and tours run only by arrangement. Check the website before visiting. For a full distillery tour in the city, The Clydeside is the nearest.

Nearby distilleries

• The Clydeside, Glasgow (about 5 miles): on the old Queen’s Dock, with tours.
• Auchentoshan, Clydebank (about 6 miles): the triple-distilled Lowlander.
• Jackton, East Kilbride (about 10 miles).
• Glengoyne, Killearn (about 18 miles).
• Loch Lomond, Alexandria (about 18 miles).
• Down the Clyde coast at Inverkip: Ardgowan, Inverclyde’s new distillery (2025)

The Glasgow & Clyde Whisky Trail and the whisky hub cover the region.

Sources

• Glasgow distillery — Wikipedia.
• Scotchwhisky.com: The Glasgow Distillery Company.
• The Scotsman: interview with Liam Hughes.