Glen Mhor Distillery 18th October 1907 Wine and Spirit Trade Record Page 2

 


Welcome to the unveiling of page two of the previously lost Glen Mhor article from the October 1907 edition of the Wine and Spirit Trade Record.

If you've come across this article without first exploring the introduction on page one, I highly recommend you take a moment to do so.

A warm thank you goes to Leon at James Eadie for rescuing this article from obscurity and sharing it with us. I feel compelled to dissect all the information, details, and images to enrich our understanding of Glen Mhor.

So, where shall we begin with page two? The prominent photograph above seems like the perfect starting point. This image has also appeared in the 1898 Brewers and Distillers' magazine article, indicating it predates 1907 and even the 1900s. I suspect this was an official image of Glen Mhor, commissioned by Mackinlay & Birnie shortly after the distillery began operations. This may have slotted in with the internal images of the new distillery that were still being used for promotional articles in 1938

Their focus was on fulfilling whisky orders, primarily for blending purposes. In the late 1800s, Inverness was quite remote by UK standards. Bottlers, blenders, and store owners had limited chances to visit the distillery, so articles like this - especially the photographs - were crucial in piquing their interest and potentially driving orders.

This image may not depict a freshly built Glen Mhor, but it certainly captures a moment shortly after its completion. How can we tell? The answer lies in the impressive warehouse that stands prominently in the foreground.

When Glen Mhor first opened its doors, the warehouse was only half its current size (notice the seam in the middle), before undergoing an expansion in 1894. This marked the beginning of a series of ongoing enhancements at the distillery throughout the late 1890s. The roof writing is also much more visible in this image.

Transcription

Moving onto the text itself, I'll transcribe this below and discuss its merits, and this continues from the first page:

'and distilling departments. For it must be remembered that, thanks to the trammels of the Inland Revenue Office, mashing and distilling cannot go on concurrently.

Half the plant of a distillery is consequently lying idle for the first three days of the week, and the other half for the last three days. When a distiller is mashing, he has to put in a final declaration before the officers will take the locks off the stills, and having done that, the distiller much cease distilling within the prescribed time before recommencing to mash. The official excuse for retaining such antiquated restrictions is to be found in the fear of the Department that continuous distillation would open the door to pilfering and manipulation.

Some day, perhaps, the Department will find a means of safeguarding the revenue without cramping the industry.

The kiln at Glen Mhor is a fine one with an area of 30 square feet, the plates on the floor being honeycombed from below, with the result that any grains which get into the holes are bound to go through. The heat of the kiln is regulated to a nicety by King's Patent Economiser - that ingenious arrangement for utilising the expansion and contraction of a metal rod for opening and closing the draught spaces. 

Orkney peats - which are hard as coal after a year's storage - are used for malting purposes - of course, with a proportion of coke - such proportion being a gradually increasing one in most Highland distilleries. Of course, the more coke, the more "silent" the Whisky, and modern taste having decreed that the smoky flavour must become less accentuated, distillers have had to obey the bhest.

The stills are three in number - one wash-still and two spirit-stills - and the still house is not cumbered by any other appliances, with the exception of the copper for producing hot water, which is wanted in such large quantities in a big distillery. 

The "charging capacity" of the wash-stills amounts to 4,000 gallons, which is about four-fifths of the total content of the still. The wash chargers and receivers are in quite distinct departments, divived from the still-house by iron doors which would automatically close in case of an outbreak of fire.

Late in the season as our visit was, the distillery was yet at work, though the proprietors of Glen Mhor are always amongst the earliest to commence distillation, because of the difficulty of disposing of the draff or grains to farmers and dairymen increases as the summer advances. The effluent, by-the-bye, goes to sea via the town drain, so that no trouble or expense if incurred in getting rid of what distillers on Speyside find a veritable nightmare.

Facilities for getting materials into the distillery are just as convenient as those for getting them out, the Caledonian Canal and a railway siding being alongside the distillery. In fact, Inverness being a seaport, the carriage facilities are everything.' 

Digging into the details

There’s a lot to unpack on this page. The prevailing narrative revolves around bureaucracy and the tight hold the Revenue has on the distilling process. Yet, our investigation into the Glen Mhor logbook reveals a different story: the Excise representative collaborated closely with the distillery team, frequently allowing exceptions to the rules when requested.

This could be indicative of the Exciseman’s character, as Gilbert W. Peterkin had previously been with Glen Albyn before taking charge at Glen Mhor. His approach was meticulous and professional, but he also understood the importance of flexibility when the situation called for it. Perhaps when this earlier article was written to his residency, there was an 'old guard' Exciseman in charge who was a stickler for detail - something that John Birnie would have appreciated, but also loathed in equal measure. 

The kiln insights into what must have been its original dimensions and characteristics are welcome, as this was expanded threefold in 1949. Additionally, we have meticulously recorded the history of peat usage at Glen Mhor throughout the years, highlighting a significant dependence on Orkney peat until that supply became inconsistent. The northeast of Scotland was tapped for resources, along with more locally sourced peat from Foyers, thanks to the recollections of a worker's relative.

A fascinating discussion surrounds the smoky characteristics present in Glen Mhor. Like many distilleries of its era, it likely incorporated a hint of smoke from the kiln and peat. The most remarkable instances of this can be seen in the bottles discovered beneath the Shackleton Hut, dating from this period. Although I haven't had the pleasure of tasting this whisky, it is said to be outstanding and provokes deep thoughts about the quality of whisky crafted at the distillery. The team under the guidance of John Birnie, knew how to make exceptional whisky.

The article intriguingly highlights a pivotal shift in whisky production, moving away from the traditionally gritty and smoky flavors that once defined many Campbeltown and Highland distilleries. This transition towards a more refined, Speyside-inspired style, characterised by its delicate balance and unique traits, caught many producers off guard. At the time of the article's release, the industry was still grappling with the aftermath of previous challenges, leading to the closure of several distilleries.

That third still

The reference to three stills is particularly significant, as it validates our suspicions regarding Glen Mhor. While various sources suggest that the elusive third still was introduced in 1925, we understand that its consideration dates back to the 1898 Plan of Alterations, which aimed to upgrade production capabilities and revealed the constraints of the malting floor.

The findings from the Distilleries of Great Britain and Ireland from the 1920s, recently published by James Eadie, have confirmed the existence of the third still at the time of the original publication. Further investigation has revealed that this new still was nearly twice the size of the original spirit still, boasting a capacity of 12,274 litres. This larger still would have inevitably influenced the distillate, especially considering that the renowned Shackleton whisky was ordered and delivered in 1907. Birnie's approach leaned towards a younger whisky, typically around five years old and no older than 10 - a philosophy later championed by his son, William. Thus, if this larger still was operational shortly after the 1898 plans, it’s highly probable that the Shackleton whisky was produced using this updated setup. Consequently, the original Glen Mhor distillate endured for only about four years, rendering it exceptionally rare and a relic of the past.

Although we can shorten the timeline for the potential arrival of the third still, we also consider that instead of placing the new, larger still in a different part of the room, the original spirit still was relocated. This decision underlines both the wash and the new spirit still positioned side by side, working together harmoniously. This approach is logical and justifies the extra effort involved. Unfortunately, the Customs and Excise distillery logbook that might have shed light on the exact timing of this work is absent. Nevertheless, our investigation presses on, and who can say what treasures we might discover in the company archives in Glasgow someday?




Put the kettle on

A delightful nod to the hot water source nestled in the Still Room, paired with the distillery's fire prevention doors, evokes memories of this insurance certificate from 1895. In the 1920s image featured in the Distillers of Great Britain article, we can spot what is essentially a massive kettle catering to the hot water requirements, positioned at the left edge of the frame. I've enhanced this image using AI for clarity. The accompanying text graciously points out that aside from the trio of stills, this was the only other significant piece of equipment in that room. It would have been unchanged, as the wash still remained in place and its original size - there was no need for more hot water to fill the initial still. 

Revisiting this image, armed with this new knowledge and also that of our existing still room images, which are on our Photograph page, and also deciphered by Alan Winchester previously in this wonderful article, I'm looking at that second still on the right once again. Noting we have the time frame of third 3rd entry was 1907 or earlier, I cannot help but feel that the larger and fatter onion style still would be very different on the right hand side. This to my untrained eye looks like the original spirit still which was pretty much identical to its wash still brother when the distillery started production in 1894.

So, this photograph takes on new meaning as it gives us both the original stills which we've seen previously in the 1938 publication images. Meaning, it's a much earlier image than previously thought if we went with the 1920s publication date. 

Down the drain

Scottish Water would have a field day if a distillery utilised the methods mentioned in this bygone article. The mention of 'late in the season' is intriguing, as Glen Mhor typically kicked off its operations around September/October and ran through to late June, when a quiet period of 6 to 8 weeks would ensue. This implies that the author of the piece likely visited closer to June 1907 rather than in 1906. 


Throughout my investigations, I've found that Glen Mhor collaborated with local farmers and actively promoted the availability of by-products, indicating a strong relationship with the agricultural community. As shown by the above entry from the Inverness Courier (Friday 7th September 1894), during its first season. However, I haven't encountered any evidence suggesting difficulties in managing these by-products or any drainage issues. It raises the possibility that the writer's perspective may have been shaped by experiences from other locations. 

The distillery was strategically located to benefit from the Caledonian Canal, although my findings suggest that this route was seldom utilised. Instead, the Muirtown basin proved to be more advantageous, or the deeper port of Thornbush, still in Inverness, which was utilised for larger loads. The railway connection, featuring a siding at the Glen Albyn distillery, was in close proximity but not precisely at the distillery's entrance, which is a bit of an exaggeration. Consequently, the distillery staff or a local carter would need to transport the loads along the quayside to reach the access point.

Instead of jumping to conclusions, I decided to reach out to Alan Winchester to hear his perspective on this page and what insights he might glean from it.

'Reading through it, what's clear with your research you can cut through the sort of journalist assumptions are made, its hyping up the transport arrangements which were advantageous for Inverness, the Orkney peat article backs up the story they liked Eday (Orkney) peats were valued for their calorific ( heat value).  Your research shows that they were open to other sources, I would expect cost comes into it as a commercial operation.

I like the advantage of the town sewer for disposal compared to Speyside distilleries, is he pushing an advantage in pricing at Glen Mhor?

Your assumption on the original Low wines and feints still I agree with.

I use current day Balblair here, the two pot stills that were installed after second world war, following an expansion the wash still became a Low wines and feints still and a larger Wash still installed, the old low wines and feints still becoming redundant, it is now sitting at Station Hotel in Rothes's carpark.  Similar at Scapa, so this was a Hiram Walker idea at that time the Lomond was larger than the original wash still which became a Low wines and feints still, the redundant still sits at Kilmalid bottling plant with the original spirit safe.

Also, during the Victorian era, but we have no evidence of a larger wash still going into Glen Mhor, though bases of the stills are larger in the photographs after the steam was installed.

Great we can find these articles, I know Leon has found such gems in the British library.'

Overall, this document discovery is truly remarkable, and I am thrilled to share it with everyone, helping to shed light on its significance. Such valuable information should be accessible to the public rather than hidden away in private collections or forgotten corners. Here’s to uncovering more treasures and, of course, to page 3 in the near future.

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