Glen Mhor Distillery 18th October 1907 Wine and Spirit Trade Record Page 1

It's fascinating how frequently I receive inquiries about a possible book dedicated to Glen Mhor, and the astonishment on people's faces, when I explain that no such project is in the works is fun to see. I understand the appeal of having a tangible, physical item - after all, I'm an avid player of vinyl records. Yet, to me, a book signifies that the journey is over, that the content within those pages is finalised and unchangeable. But here, the journey is far from finished.

Many existing books that touch on Glen Mhor seem constrained by their limited perspectives and the era in which they were written, as well as the boundaries set by their authors, or the project itself. In this space, I have the freedom to explore, theorise, and connect the dots from history. Whenever new information surfaces, we can seamlessly integrate it into our understanding, make corrections and reshape past theories.

Today, I’m thrilled to share something that has been on my wish list for quite some time. A heartfelt thank you goes out to Leon at James Eadie, who dedicates considerable effort to unearthing lost historical whisky publications. Thanks to his hard work, I can now present to a broader audience the Glen Mhor feature that was published in the Wine and Spirit Trade Record back in 1907, specifically in the issue released on October 18th.

I will transcribe each of the pages below and also seek out the insightful perspective of Alan Winchester on our findings and the overall significance of this information.

While Leon might express regret over the image quality, I’ve encountered far worse, and I’m simply thrilled that we can access the text and images that were produced over a century ago. This discovery is remarkable and, as you will see, it offers fresh insights and a new perspective on our understanding of Glen Mhor.

The lead image originates from the first page, and it’s one we’ve encountered before in various online sources, often without proper attribution. Now, we can trace it back to this trade article. It captures a pristine Glen Mhor, taken from Telford Street, looking across the then open fields toward the distillery. This view was soon to be been engulfed by the growth of Muirtown and the development of the stadium.

The viewpoint is stunning, with the majestic Highlands rising behind the distillery, while the Caledonian Canal remains cleverly concealed from sight. However, I believe this image was not specifically captured for the 1907 article. Instead, it likely stems from circa 1898, possibly linked to a collection of photographs taken for a special edition of the Distillers and Brewers' magazine and Trade News. This will become more evident with another image featured in the 1907 article, but for now, let’s focus on the warehousing.

From the plans we've previously published, we know that permission was sought in 1898 to construct the fourth warehouse. Interestingly, the timelines for the subsequent warehouses have always been somewhat ambiguous. We do possess plans from 1914 that appear to pertain to the fifth and sixth warehouses. If you examine the image above, you'll see that these structures were indeed present in 1907 for this publication. The 1898 warehouse plans in general also prompted a legal challenge from a nearby wealthy landowner. 

Notably, the roofs of these warehouses exhibit slightly different shading, suggesting they are newer and less weathered by the harsh Highland climate. Their condition shouldn't be surprising, as in May 1898, Glen Mhor underwent a series of transformations that gradually unfolded over the following decades, culminating in the 1920s, when most historical accounts indicate these changes were finalised. It appears there was a degree of validated planning approval that could be counted on. Considering the economic challenges that would soon impact the Scotch industry at the century's turn, along with the subsequent world war, it seems improbable that Glen Mhor would have been constructing warehouses in the early 1900s or during the war years.

In 1898, a variety of proposals were put forward, particularly concerning warehousing. It's important to highlight that our documentation from this period appears to be thorough, with the subsequent focus shifting to worker accommodations in 1904. However, there’s a possibility that some plans may have been lost. This suggests that construction likely took place between 1898 and 1900. Interestingly, the local press, which Mackinlay & Birnie often relied on for announcements about new projects, did not mention any new warehousing initiatives after 1898. Previously, based on the 1914 plans and US naval diagrams, I speculated that the warehouses didn't arrive until the early 1920s, which takes me back to that book question.

Now, clearly both #5 and #6 were there in 1907 at the latest, possibly what we're seeing in subsequent plans and considerations is the arrival of the final two warehouses (#7 and #8) after the First World War concluded to complete the stadium boundary. Of course it goes without saying this is murky waters before you add in that the largest and original warehouse was extended in 1894, and was I believe known as warehouse 1 and 2 thereafter. 

Let's move onto the text itself from this page, and I've added a couple of paragraph breaks to aid reading and discussion:

'Glen Mhor Distillery, Inverness

Mackinlay & Birnie

There are distilleries and distilleries. There are those where the contents of the various vessels can be expressed in units of thousands of gallons, and where six or eight months of the year suffice, even when used in a leisurely way, to complete the working season. There are those where tens of thousands (applied either to gallons or bushels) are the figures in daily use, and where mashing and distilling alternate in rapid succession practically all the year through, night and day and Sunday too.  

There are those where the appliances are primitive and the methods slow, cumbrous, and even slovenly. There are those where everything is up to fate, clean as the proverbial new pin, and directed to the purpose of achieving the best possible results within the expenditure of a minimum of labour. In these days, when competition is so keen, one would expect the last mentioned conditions to obtain everywhere. 

Unfortunately such is not the fact, but they are becoming more and more prevalent and in the case of the distillery we bringing before our readers this month we have a typical instance of an establishment where the methods are as modern as the appliances are perfect. An establishment, too, where every possible care is taken, not only in the selection of barley used, but also cleansing. With the employment of the finest material and the most economical methods of production, it is obvious that Glen Mhor Distillery is in a position to offer the best value at the keenest price.

"Mhor" is the Gaelic for "more" or "bigger," and Glen Mhor Distillery is at the outskirts of Inverness, just at the mouth of the "big glen" of Scotland. Its first season was that of 1893-4, and when the "boom" in Scotch Whisky came, its capacity was doubled (1897-98), with the exception of the maltings. These remain at their original size, but they are easily worked, and at high pressure can be kept abreast of the mashing.'

Initial thoughts

Before diving into the intricate details of Glen Mhor, it's essential to draw attention to the distinctive tone of this anonymous author. His observations regarding various unnamed distilleries are quite striking, particularly his comments on their routines and labour - during a time when the industry was far more labour-intensive than it is today. 

I can't help but wonder if this could be Alfred Barnard, the renowned author of 'The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom,' who also contributed to various publications and undertook private commissioned work. It's a thought worth pondering, or at least keeping in mind, as we walk through these pages.

Barnard was tasked by Mackinlay & Birnie in 1897, to create a promotional pamphlet for Glen Mhor distillery, which has eluded my research thus far. We have reviews of the final product but no accompanying images. I've often speculated whether this magazine article was derived from that pamphlet or if it was merely a reprint, minus the Leith blending aspect we know that were also included.

It seems plausible that the information might stem from the previously mentioned article on Distillers and Brewers. It's worth noting that Barnard did not mention Glen Mhor in his renowned whisky book, likely because he visited Inverness before Glen Mhor was finished - though he did include Glen Albyn. 

I have a feeling that Mackinlay & Birnie viewed the exclusion of their exquisite state of the art distillery, as a regrettable oversight and were determined to make amends. Given Barnard's passion for whisky, he would likely have jumped at the chance to explore Glen Mhor as well. Engaging his expertise for the previously mentioned pamphlet would have mitigated any potential fallout and elevated the management's reputation.

Additionally, this auction lot reveals an intriguing detail: we were unaware that Mackinlay & Birnie had reprinted the magazine article from 1907. This indicates that they not only had a tendency to repurpose content (including photographs, as we know) but also retained the rights to the original text, implying it was commissioned by them in the first place. 

Harnessing the capabilities of contemporary technology, and just for a bit of amusement, I delved into the text of The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom using some key terms from this page. What I discovered was intriguing:

The term 'cumbrous' is used to describe beams and shafts by Barnard. Additionally, words like 'appliances', 'abreast', and 'new pin' are present, while 'slovenly' is notably absent. Some of these terms may seem peculiar, yet they reflect an older style of English that was likely commonplace among writers (noting that whisky writers was a niche pool of talent back then) of that era, or perhaps shaped by the meticulous touch of an editor. Let’s revisit this discussion when we discuss page 2 in the near future. 

The commentary on the inaugural season is particularly intriguing, as it appears to have been a rather hurried affair, a conclusion supported by our earlier findings. By September 1894, the distillery was already engaged in its initial distillation processes. One of the most reliable ways to monitor production has been through the yeast records, which were delivered to the distillery nearly every week. A document we discovered from this time period reveals the yeast usage on-site throughout the season, with the first shipment from Fountain Brewery arriving in October 1894.

Naturally, John Birnie was deeply involved during this phase, taking a hands-on approach. His assistant, Robert Robertson, wouldn’t join him from Mortlach distillery until December 1894, just as the season was truly getting underway. And it seems safe to speculate that John would have experimented with various yeast suppliers (this was also the case during the early years of Glen Mhor) to find reliable and flavoursome sources. 

Glen Mhor Details

Research reveals how John Birnie placed great importance on local barley and collaborated closely with farmers to secure a high-quality supply. During this period, Glen Mhor would have drawn from a diverse range of sources, including Bere barley, a practice that persisted well into the 1920s.

From my viewpoint, the final paragraph on this page is particularly intriguing as it discusses the 1898 modifications aimed at boosting production at every stage, with the exception of malting. Although these changes were proposed in 1898, many records indicate that their implementation didn’t occur until the mid-1920s.

I have long suspected that this timeline might not be accurate, and our findings suggest that several enhancements were indeed adopted earlier than anticipated. The key question remains: when exactly did these improvements take place? The relocation of the offices from the main production building around 1924 would have created additional internal space, potentially facilitating these advancements.

The still house was always envisioned with the potential for additional stills. The original concept of Glen Mhor was practical yet constrained, limited by either financial resources or a more cautious strategy. However, this limitation was soon rectified with a surge of construction during the late 1890s.

The malting floors, as highlighted in the 1949 Saladin Box pamphlet, consistently hindered the distillery's output. Glen Albyn frequently stepped in to help, but this assistance came at the cost of its own production capabilities. In fact, its acquisition in 1920 might have been influenced by the availability of its expansive malting facilities. Moreover, with John Birnie at the helm, the owners possessed a deep understanding of how Albyn operated.

If we are to trust this article, purportedly penned around 1907, then the changes were already firmly established. However, I suspect it was actually written in the late 1890s, reflecting the proposed plans and aspirations for Glen Mhor - visions that would soon be shattered by the Pattison Crisis and the ensuing economic turmoil. After all, why expand production capacity when the market for your whisky is stagnant?

In my upcoming article, I will delve into the specifics found on page 2 of this discovery.