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Glenkinchie is near the village of Pencaitland, only about 15 miles from
Edinburgh between the soft green Lammermuir hills and the small coastal
resorts where the Firth of Forth meets the sea. It is in the glen of the Kinchie
a tributary of the Scottish river Tyne (not to be confused with the English one
of the same name). The distillery - which has its own bowling green - is set
in farmland. In the 1940s and 1950s the distillery manager bred prize-winning
cattle, feeding them on the spent grain. In 1968 the former floor maltings
were turned into an early museum of malt whisky. Among the exhibits is a
beautifully-crafted model of the distillery which was built in 1924 by the
firm of Basset-Lowke, known for their model steam engines. It was constructed
for the 1924 Empire Exhibition at Wembly, London. The distillery itself was
founded in the 1830s by the brothers John and George Rate, was rebuilt in 1890
then again between the two World Wars.
© Michael Jackson 1994
Glenkinchie has been a component of 'Dimple' Haig. The name 'Kinchie' is a
corruption of 'De Quincey', these being the original owners of the lands upon
which the distillery is built. The water comes from the Lammermuir hills and
is slightly chalky which they claim modifies the characteristic Lowland malt
taste, making it drier. Glenkinchie is another distillery which keeps its wooden
washbacks.
o.m.
A copy of United Distillers' own illustrated pamphlet about Glenkinchie can be found here and there is further UD-orientated material in their scotch.com InfoCenter, here
Pencaitland, nr. Tranent, East Lothian, EH34 5ET
Tel: 01875 342000 / 340333; Fax 01875 342001
Visitor Centre 01875 342004; Fax 01875 342007
Hear "Glenkinchie" pronounced in AU or WAV format
Search Dr. Do'g's index for the history of Glenkinchie
There just might be some news about Glenkinchie in The "Scotsman" newspaper