Glen Mhor Foyers Peat

 

Peat is frequently overlooked in discussions of the historical ingredients that contributed to the production of whisky at Glen Mhor and other distilleries. This research has revealed that Mackinlay & Birnie held a high regard for peat and had an enduring association with peat from Eday, Orkney.

This was a long-standing relationship that endured until the decline of this island resource, as evidenced by Michael Billett's excellent work, 'Peat and Whisky: The Unbreakable Bond'. In this text, William Birnie laments the latest shipment of peat as being substandard. As this relationship presumably deteriorated and Eday's golden age drew to a close, Glen Mhor sought out alternative sources, initially turning to Dava Moor (Carrbridge) before moving eastwards to Aberdeenshire and Pitsligo. This area was utilised by numerous other distilleries that benefited from rail links and arguably a greater level of consistency. 

However, the evidence suggests that Mackinlay & Birnie preferred to source barley locally, and support the local community, while adopting a worthwhile approach of not having all its eggs in one basket. There always was a possibility that a more 'local peat' was utilised, as Gladys and her father, Sandy Robertson, who was the foreman at Glen Mhor during the post-war era until 1975, informed me.

During her recollections, she commented that 'some of the peat came from the back of Foyers.' This detail immediately caught my interest, as it was the first documented account of the local peat source. For someone to still recall this detail 50-60 years later, which to many may not have been a major fact, is of interest. It suggests that her father shared this detail and highlighted its significance. I sought further clarification, and Gladys was unequivocal in her assertion that 'some of the peat did indeed originate from the vicinity of Foyers, in proximity to Loch Ness.'

Glen Mhor has an association with Loch Ness, if only from a selling point. We know on 1st November 1975, Angus MacKay, head brewer at the distillery was featured in an American newspaper article commenting in this fun article, which mentions Angus as being red-nosed and having worked at Glen Mhor for 20 years, with some relevant quotes:

'We don't use ordinary water. We use the pure water of Loch Ness which has a lot of seepage from the rocks and peat. Scottish barley is allowed to germinate in this water.'

'We put it under a peat fire for the smoke flavour. This is what makes Scotch Scotch. You can't get this peat in America.'

The Loch Ness water aspect is tourist bait, as Glen Mhor shared the water pipe with Glen Albyn that ran along the quayside and into the Caledonian Canal at Muirtown reach, just above the Muirtown Locks. Yes, there will have been some water that may have originated from Loch Ness, but add every other potential water source along the route and its relevance is purely to entertain the tourists. 

However, Angus doesn't mention the peat being from Loch Ness, which is revealing and underlines my belief that the practice of local peat from Loch Ness was put to end when D.C.L. took over both distilleries on 12th July 1972. 

So, the use of Foyers for peat is likely to be a longstanding relationship and one that endured into the 1960s at least. This would put it very much in Sandy's time as foreman. 

Being a mere novice when it comes to the intricacies of peat, I reached out to Mike for his input on this revelation of local peat and if he had come across this area before or seen this peat used by other distilleries:

'I've not come across any mention of Foyers peat being used by distilleries in the past. I do not know this area, but it obviously makes sense for the Inverness distilleries with the road/canal links to Loch Ness.

I came across an article on peat cutting in the Stratherrick area just inland from Foyers. Peat looks to have been cut from a number of mosses in the past, but many have now been planted with conifers.'

Potentially, we have an exclusive peat utilised by Glen Mhor and likely Glen Albyn at some prior time. Gladys mentioned that it was from the 'back of Foyers' which could relate to this article mentioning the site being just inland. The article by the South Loch Ness group highlights several known sites in the area, including Errogie which is to the north east of Foyers...

'Angus Macgillivray of Gorthleck claimed the best local peat came from an area which is now surrounded by a plantation on the west side of the Pass of Inverfarigaig road half a mile from Errogie. In the same locality there are signs of old cuttings a little further down the road at Aultnagoire under the power lines. Many of the old peat cuttings have been swallowed up by plantations over the last 50 years and in other places the trees have been planted in such close proximity that they have cut the essential drying wind and sunlight which is essential during the early summer months.

When you know what to look for it is quite easy to recognise the tell tale signs of old peat cuttings, usually a linear depression in the heather with a fairly straight edge although sometimes the man wielding the tushker may have produced a curved line over many years. Often a step-in will be visible in the face being worked. One of the best examples which is visible from the road is approximately a mile east of Errogie on the low side of the main road which was probably the local fuel for the residents of Old Errogie, Torshelly and Charleston on the hill above. A short distance further east the only workings still in use today sit in the fork of the road where it splits to Strathnairn at the Cadhal an Odhar.

Peat was cut at Loch Bran and on the south side of loch Garth near Corriegarth and again on the roadside near the summit of the Suidhe on the road to Fort Augustus. This last site fulfilled two of important essentials. It was high and exposed for good drying and transport home would have been downhill! There are old cuttings on the Dunmaglass side of Meall Don in Errogie and at Loch Ceo Glais and doubtless in many other forgotten locations.'

It is possible that the original location of the Glen Mhor peat resource has been lost to the natural environment. However, during the course of my research into the distillery, I have discovered a number of unexpected findings. The mention of Aultnagoire is of interest, as this is situated in the vicinity of Loch Ness and Foyers. Perhaps the company records in Glasgow will offer more tangible information. 

As recently as September 1921, Mackinlay & Birnie were employing farmers in the vicinity of Daviot, situated towards the A9, to source local bere barley. This was transported to the distillery by railway, which would also have been accessible to peat cutters in the Foyers area. However, the most straightforward route to the distillery would have been to utilise the waterways leading into the Caledonian Canal, arriving at the quayside situated behind the distillery. 

There is no evidence to date of peat being transported along the Caledonian Canal. The canal was the least used of the access routes for ferrying goods. We do know that in 1921 Glen Mhor (and possibly Glen Albyn) received a ship carrying 134 tonnes of peat from Eday. A load too large for the canal and one that was transported by the local carter, either from the deeper Muirtown Basin or via Thornbush Harbour on the other side of the peninsula, which could accommodate larger boats and heavier loads. Yet, thanks to Gladys and her memories of her father's career, we now know that a desire for local peat endured until the early 1970s.

Why go to all this trouble, even after the decline of Eday, and looking to Dava Moor and then Pitsligo? Perhaps we'll never know. Maintaining a long-standing contract and relationship with a local supplier is one possibility and is something we've consistently seen from Mackinlay & Birnie. It wouldn't have lasted so long if the peat hadn't been of sufficient quality to give Glen Mhor the character it needed. The Stratherrick peat is noted in the article as having the useful quality of burning long and slow, through the night if necessary. While other peats struggled for consistency, something closer to home may have been more resilient to get the job done and add that extra dimension to the malt recipe, or when added to the larger order of peat from another source, helped improve the overall durability. Just another in a series of mysteries unearthed (sorry) during my Glen Mhor research.

Ultimately, as with many distilleries in today's modern age, there is a desire to keep things local. Here was a distillery in Muirtown, Inverness, happy to explore new avenues, but always maintaining a core base of local suppliers of peat and barley, some going back to the foundation during the 1890s.

On another note, I'm taking a couple of weeks off for an overdue family holiday. This will be tied in with a visit to the Highland Archive Centre in Inverness. Hopefully, some Glen Mhor finds amongst all the Glen Albyn research, so watch this space.