Glen Mhor Distillery 18th October 1907 Wine and Spirit Trade Record Page 4

Apologies for being so absorbed in everything related to Glen Albyn lately that I neglected the page from the 1907 Wine and Spirit Trade Record publication.

Luckily, this allows me to present this restored image from 1919, showcasing an aerial perspective of both distilleries, with Glen Mhor positioned on the right, and is the nearest in terms of timeframe to this article - noting that the much of the improvements did not follow until later. Now, let's get back to the final page and explore what insights it can provide...

The concluding page of the Wine and Spirit Trade Record article consists of just a few brief paragraphs before transitioning to other topics. Specifically, it provides a summary of the Anglo-French Exhibition and its Brandy Section. My thanks, once again, to Leon at James Eadie for uncovering this article, which was on my 'most wanted' list. 

The shortness of page four might come as a welcome change, especially after the extensive details found in the preceding pages. It gives us a chance to reflect on the content, and I recommend reading through the pages in numerical order for a comprehensive understanding, as we've done great work here and brought these pages to life for everyone. 

Transcription

'house the ground floor of the front wing, where also is the barley purchasing and testing room and Whisky sampling room. This latter contains a specimen of every period made in the distillery since its commencement, and it is wonderful to note how the quality and flavour of each year's make are reproduced to its successor.

Closing our inspection with a taste of Glen Mhor Whisky - for a visit to a distillery would be incomplete without sampling its product - we learnt from Mr John Birnie (one of the proprietors) that they had only one hogshead left of their first season's new make, and this they are retaining as a curio. It was distilled in 1894, the year of the birth of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, upon whom the title of Earl of Inverness was conferred by Queen Victoria. Since the distillery commenced working its annual sales have steadily increased, and several of the principal firms of blenders being financially interested in the company, its continuous success would seem assured. It may certainly be taken as a model Highland distillery, the care and attention devoted to the details of working reflecting great credit on those responsible for its management.'

Showing this final page to Alan Winchester, highlighted the key points and a little frustration that the writer didn't comment more on the spirit qualities, which was common practice, but today would have been invaluable. 

'What happened to that cask, I presume the Earl of Inverness eldest son became George 6th, maybe Prince Andrew still has the title. The retention of spirit samples seems a very organised distillery. No word what the spirit tasted like.'

The title of Earl has gained press attention lately due to local campaigns aimed at revoking Prince Andrew's honour in light of recent allegations.

Breaking it down

This publication dates back to before 1924, the year when the purpose-built distillery office was established on the Telford Street side of the property with a specific room for samples. Before this development, as revealed by the original plans from 1893, the offices for the distillery manager and excise were located within the main production facility. Barley was very much at the core of John Birnie's focus on quality, so it is no surprise to see how important testing its quality was retained on site. 

The ongoing growth and evolution of the Workmen's houses takes an intriguing turn, revealing that these structures served a dual purpose. It appears that the upper levels were designed for living quarters, while the lower levels housed a library and testing facility. With this fresh perspective, we can now revisit the previously published plans and gain a deeper understanding of their design and intended functions.

It is logical that the downstairs area was more spacious and appeared disconnected from the upstairs activities, which had a separate entrance. We now understand that these tasks were not carried out in the cramped and noisy manager's office located within the production facilities. Additionally, it was conveniently situated away from the eyes of the resident Exciseman.

Royal Family

Our research has revealed that John Birnie was a fervent advocate for the monarchy, making the emphasis on this final cask quite expected. The distillery was among the pioneers in allowing employees time off to train and contribute to the war effort. Additionally, it supported numerous charities, including the 1943 Prisoner of War Week. In 1931, Neil M. Gunn also contemplated the political landscape surrounding Glen Mhor:

'22 October: Phone message from McNeill in the morning about Kingussie, where hall is booked for Sat. night by Sir M.M. It was amusing my trying to convey my advice quietly so that old (John) Birnie would not overhear, the phone being in his office. Birnie had a few minutes before been talking to his staff strongly on the absolute necessity of voting for Sir M.M. He has no idea practically all of them will vote for MacCormick. But they have to dissemble to him. Curious power of the master... They are all frightened of Birnie... Birnie knows from our many arguments that I am a Nationalist and is avoiding, or, at least, ignoring me as far as possible.'

This phone was intended to be situated in the newly constructed office, as previously noted. Being the only phone provided a level of oversight, and the device served as a crucial instrument for handling emergencies or contacting the Exciseman (if he was not present at that moment), as documented in this Logbook entry dated 14th April 1939.

I wondered what happened to that final cask, which was a smaller hogshead rather than a sherry butt.

Popularity of Glen Mhor

This is a point we've highlighted before regarding the initial years of the distillery, where demand exceeded supply, prompting ongoing expansions during the 1890s. The reputation of the spirit and its whisky was widely recognised, and has been further validated by the unearthing of cases of Mackinlay's Rare Old Highland Whisky, preserved under the ice at Camp Royds.

It is generally accepted that the Rare Old is Glen Mhor, and scientific analysis of various bottles has shed new light on the whisky from this era:

'All three samples were similar, exhibiting a balance of peaty, mature woody, sweet, dried fruit and spicy aromas. The peat levels did not dominate, while the mature flavours were consistent with maturation in sherry or wine casks. Low levels of both fresh fruit and green/grassy characteristics, and immature aromas such as feinty and sulphury were present. With no off-notes, the whisky did not exhibit any aromas not found in a modern whisky.'

'The major volatile congener data suggested that the ‘Mackinlay’ was a malt whisky, rather than one blended with grain whisky.'

'the Mackinlay whisky is very similar to whisky currently produced using Orkney peat, confirming the historical records that peat was sourced from the Isle of Eday.'

'Analysis of the major volatile congeners, maturation related congeners, phenols and sugars revealed a very complex, lightly-peated spirit matured for 5–10 years in ‘first-fill’ American white oak sherry casks.'

'The results presented here significantly change our perception of the quality and character of Scotch malt whisky produced over 100 years ago. Malt whisky from this period was generally regarded as robust, peaty and too ‘heavy’ in style for ordinary consumption. Our analysis however describes a surprisingly light, complex whisky,  with a lower phenolic content than expected. The first season for the Glen Mhor distillery was 1893–1894 and so the matured malt whisky they supplied to Mackinlay was relatively new to the market when Shackleton ordered 25 cases of it for the Antarctic expedition of 1907. We are therefore indebted to Sir Ernest Shackleton...'

Sensory and Chemical Analysis of Shackleton's Mackinlay Scotch Whisky is a fascinating read and the results are available in this PDF report.

What we can assert with a fair amount of confidence is that the inaugural season vintage at Glen Mhor (1894) was likely not part of the Shackleton whisky, as it appears to have been completely sold off into the hands of eager blenders and other companies. We can delve deeper into this, as the rising demand for its whisky prompted the swift growth noted in our timeline from the 1890s, with a significant emphasis on onsite warehousing becoming essential before any seasonal fillings could be sold.

There would have been a delay in the balancing between supply and demand, which would have required a couple of years of dedicated effort to stabilise. Based on the insights we've gathered from our research on John Birnie and his views on whisky, it is clear that the Shackleton bottles would not have been less than five years old. This is a certainty. Overall, considering all this research, it seems likely that the ages fall within the five to eight year range, as he was not a fan of 'older' whisky. This suggests that the Shackletons themselves are made up of vintages from 1898 to 1901, or were exclusively chosen from one specific year. Possibly by John himself, sat in the downstairs office, surrounded by the array of samples.

It's worth noting that the remaining cask dates to 1894, which prompts the intriguing question: could it be the inaugural cask? Officially, Glen Mhor began production on December 8th 1894, but we know there were several weeks of distillation leading up to that date. This means that a cask from 1894 had only a brief window of a few weeks for distillation, especially considering the festive season, and would have been produced in the depths of a Highland winter. It seems to have been more of a symbolic cask, as 13 years of age was very old, and for John Birnie went beyond what he deemed acceptable for a whisky, which was in the five to eight bracket.

Perhaps one day we will discover the fate of this cask and uncover more documentation regarding the Shackleton bottles, as stranger things have occurred during this ongoing research.