Buy rare and selected Littlemill Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky online

The Littlemill distillery was built in Bowling on the River Clyde on the site of an old 14th century brewery between Glasgow and Dumbarton in the Scottish Lowlands and has a special place in whisky history. It is considered to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, officially licensed whisky distillery in Scotland. The licence is often dated to 1772, although it is possible that there was brewing or distilling at the site before this, and unofficially it is thought that whisky has been produced here since at least 1750.
The first title deeds date back to 1817 and the distillery was co-founded by Hector Henderson, who founded Caol Ila in 1846. A complete renovation took place in 1875 under William Hay. After that, there were countless changes of ownership. In 1988, Littlemill finally ended up with Gibson International, who closed the distillery in 1992.
When they went bankrupt in 1994, the distillery, together with Glen Scotia, became Glen Catrine Bonded Warehouse, but production was not resumed. In 1996, parts of the plant were dismantled. On 4 September 2004, large parts of the distillery were irretrievably destroyed by fire and the remains collapsed in May 2006. The licence is held by the Littlemill Distillery Co. and the owners of the brand and the remaining casks, the Loch Lomond Group, occasionally bring very old and limited official bottlings onto the market.
Littlemill was known for its technical experiments. At times, so-called Saladin Boxes were used for malting. The distillery became particularly well known for its special stills, which combined pot stills with rectification columns. This allowed the production of different styles of whisky, from light to heavy. Between 1875 and 1930, triple distillation was used, which was typical for the Lowlands. The water for the distillery, which was part of the Lowlands region, came from the Auchentorlie Burn in the Kilpatrick Hills, which are already part of the Highlands. The plant consisted of a five-tonne mash tun, a fermentation vat and a wash still of 25,000 litres each. The spirit still held 18,000 litres. Both stills were steam-fuelled. Annual production was 800,000 litres at the peak.
Littlemill often represents the classic Lowland style but is not always completely consistent due to its experimental nature and long production time. In general, however, Littlemill single malt is considered light, delicate and floral with a light to medium body and is often described as gentle, soft and approachable. The flavour is floral with distinctly floral notes (spring flowers, hay) and the characteristic grassy tones with bright fruity notes, particularly citrus fruits such as lemon and grapefruit, sometimes green apples or pears with a slight sweetness often characterised by vanilla and malt. In older bottlings, more complex fruit flavours can develop, including tropical notes, and sometimes subtle nutty or spicy notes can also be found with longer maturation.
Littlemill is a historic lost distillery from the Lowlands, whose whiskies are known for their mostly light, floral and citrusy character. The remaining stocks and the few existing original bottlings are particularly sought after by whisky collectors and connoisseurs, as they offer an insight into a bygone era of whisky production.