Clydeside Stobcross

Clydeside Distillery was opened in 2017 by Tim Morrison and released its first single malt on October 15, 2021. The Morrison family has a long history in the whisky industry in general and Glasgow in particular. Tim’s great-grandfather, John Morrison, helped build the Queen’s Dock in 1863, which served as the center of the city’s trading for over a century and the distillery exists in the old Pumphouse building that was used to hydraulicly power the swing bridge to the Dock. The Morrison family has at one point owned or been involved with the Bowmore, Auchentoshan, and Glen Garioch distilleries over the years along with owning whisky merchant A. D. Rattray and even Chivas Brothers for a time, so building a new distillery from scratch to celebrate Glasgow’s history with whisky felt like a natural step. The Clydeside Stobcross is the distillery’s first release and is named after the Stobcross House that once sat upon the River Clyde before it was demolished to make way for the Queen’s Dock.

Distillery: Clydeside
Region: Lowland
Age: NAS
Strength: 46%
Price: $69.99
Maturation: ex-bourbon casks
Location: Glasgow
Nose: Wintergreen, grain, pear, apple, brandy, green peat, chocolate
Palate: Pineapple, pear, grain
Finish: Plum, brine

Comments: Works well in a cocktail but no slouch by itself. Consider letting it sit out for a few minutes after you pour. 

Adam – The Clydeside Stobcross smells delicious, a rich basket of apples and pears with a zing of wintergreen that threatens a cough if I stick my nose too far into the glass. There’s a little light peat playing on the edges too, and a grain undertow at a certain angle. A really delightful sweetness, all in all. A big splash of pineapple brightness tempered with that pear from the nose, without the acidity you might normally look for from the fruit. Refreshing, especially if you’re not expecting it. The mouthfeel is pretty velvety even with that brightness. There’s a beat or two when you think the journey might be over but then the finish sneaks in with an unassuming plum note mixed with brine, whispering promises to be fulfilled in the next sip. 

Henry – Nose of apple or pear brandy, with a hint of light fruit, pineapple, grain, and new make, with a hint of green peat. Even more apple brandy on the palate, a bit hot, with some brine which lingers on the finish along with a pleasantly sweet plum brandy note. The Clydeside Stobcross is a young whisky and it shows. I’d like to see it with some extra age.

Ben – There’s almost pear cider in the nose. The taste reminds me of Texas Toast, in that the saltiness reminds me of dead fish, the salt in the air with a little bit of rot and a whiff of chemical from the oil rigs and chemical plants. Almost nail polish remover on a second nose. 

Bill – It’s very dry on the palate. There’s almost a saltiness on the finish. 

Mike – When I pour some on my hand and rub it together, I get chocolate. Extremely dry on the finish. It’s nice and I like it but it needs more time. If this is the base model, it just needs a little more time, maybe 3-4 more years, maybe up to 10. The brandy on the nose comes through on the palate, a little bit of the fruit. It has a lot of promise.