The Oldest Known Distillery in Scotland
The oldest known distillery in Scotland is now in ruins, but the new Lindores Abbey Distillery is right on the site of it.
Why Is It the Oldest Known Distillery in Scotland?
The important date is 1494. That was the year that King James IV of Scotland commissioned John Cor, a monk at Lindores Abbey, to turn 8 bolls of malt into Aqua Vitae, the water of life, the origins of whisky.
This is the oldest written reference to distilling in Scotland, and it proves that the monks of Lindores Abbey were indeed distilling spirits way back then. So were many others, and probably had been for a few centuries, but no-one has written proof they were doing it in Scotland before 1494.
What’s a Boll?
A boll was an old Scottish measurement of volume, and it’s hard to say exactly how much that was in 1494 as the size changed over time. Suffice it to say it was a lot of Aqua Vitae, though the king wasn’t necessarily a drunken sot, he wanted it to use in alchemical experiments.
Lindores Abbey
The ruins of Lindores Abbey lie next to the banks of the River Tay in Fife, the name meaning ‘the Church by the Water’. It’s a few miles southeast of Perth and an hour or so’s drive north of Edinburgh. It’s a beautiful part of Scotland, but then there are few parts of Scotland that aren’t beautiful.
The monks at Lindores Abbey belonged to the Tironensian order and were known as the Grey Monks because of the colour of their habit.
The abbey was founded in the late 12th century and became a prominent monastery, visited by several kings of both England and Scotland. The abbey closed in 1559 and its ruins today are an evocative reminder of a significant past.
Lindores Abbey Distillery
One of the founders of the distillery, Drew McKenzie Smith, holds the grand title of Custodian of Lindores, as his family is responsible for guarding the grounds of the abbey. His grandfather bought Lindores Abbey Farm way back in 1913, and it’s on land on that farm that the distillery has been built. They seem fitting custodians too for the Lindores Abbey Distilling tradition.
The first spirit was distilled in December 2017, meaning that it would be December 2020 before it could officially be called whisky. The distillery decided to mature it a little longer, though, and it became available in July, 2021, under the name of MCDXCIV, which is the Latin numerals for 1494. The first 12,750 bottles were labelled to show that this was the first commercially available whisky from the Lindores Abbey Distillery.
Aqua Vitae
Also in keeping with the distillery’s heritage at the abbey, it’s produced a spirit that it’s named Aqua Vitae. It’s described as a botanical spirit, a kind of gin without the juniper, distilled using spices, dried fruit, and locally-grown herbs including sweet cicely and cleavers – more commonly known in Scotland as sticky willy.
It’s certainly an unusual drink, reminding me of herbaceous digestifs from around Europe, though it could be sipped as an aperitif or used with various mixers and in cocktails.
Lindores Abbey Cocktails
There are so many cocktail recipes on the Lindores Abbey website they could probably publish a book of them. Check out the Aqua Vitae cocktail recipes here. This Milk and Honey Cocktail made with their Aqua Vitae spirit sounds strange but also sounds and looks totally delicious.
New Make Spirit
While they’re waiting three years for their spirit to turn into whisky, most new distilleries want to get something else on the market to generate some revenue. Many naturally choose the easy option of making a vodka, or perhaps a gin, neither of which have to be aged.
The Lindores Abbey Distillery decided to do something a little different, though. As well as making their botanical spirit Aqua Vitae, they’ve produced something they call New Make Spirit.
New Make Spirit is a one-of-a-kind spirit that has also been winning awards. It’s not aged and is a clear spirit that’s created using some changes to the regular distilling process to bring out various flavours they were looking for. These include tropical fruit, caramel, butterscotch, and floral notes.
New Make Spirit is bottled at 63.5% ABV (127 proof) so is only for sipping if you like your spirits strong. I do, but I enjoyed this better with a little ice melting into it to dilute it. On the nose is the vanilla you normally get from barrel-aging but here it’s in there from the off, with some creaminess, tropical fruit, and spices.
On the palate, despite its strength it’s also silky smooth, with everything you get on the nose, and more, by way of some nuttiness and the toffee/caramel/butterscotch flavours the makers were after.
Buying Lindores Abbey Spirits
Along with their flagship MCDXCIV whisky, this Aqua Vitae and New Make Spirit show that the Lindores Abbey Distillery is going to be a name to watch. The monks at the oldest known distillery in Scotland would be proud.
You can buy their spirits direct from the Lindores Abbey Distillery website shop. In the UK you can also get them on Amazon. You can also find them at Master of Malt, with international shipping.
Recent Posts
