Buy rare and selected Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

The Lowlands extend south of an imaginary line between the Firth of Tay in the east and the Firth of Clyde in the west, from the Scottish border to just north of the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, between Greenock in the west and Dundee in the east, below the Highlands and in the south of Scotland. The landscape is characterised by rolling hills, fertile farmland and is more industrialised than other whisky regions in Scotland. In contrast to the often coastal distilleries in other regions, most Lowland distilleries are located inland.
The Lowlands can look back on a rich whisky history. At the beginning of the 19th century, the region had over 115 distilleries. Over time and due to various economic factors, including the concentration on the production of grain whisky for blends, the number of malt whisky distilleries fell dramatically. For a long time, Auchentoshan and Glenkinchie were regarded as almost the only remaining traditional Lowland malt distilleries. Closed distilleries such as Rosebank, Ladyburn, St. Magdalene and Littlemill (whose buildings were destroyed by fire in 2004) achieved cult status thanks to their excellent quality and rare collector s bottlings.
Since the early 2000s, however, the Lowland region has experienced a remarkable upswing. A wave of start-ups has led to numerous new openings. Between 2005 (Daftmill) and 2022, around 15 new distilleries were built, including the iconic Rosebank distillery rebuild, which began in 2019 and whose first new casks were filled in July 2023. This trend makes the Lowlands the fastest growing whisky region in Scotland. Many of the new businesses also emphasise sustainability and local raw materials, such as Lochlea distillery, which grows its own barley.
As the whisky produced there contains little to no peat, its character is lighter and fresher than that of other regions and is known for its smooth, elegant and often surprisingly light whiskies, which were also ridiculed as breakfast whisky. As a result, it has traditionally been used as a base in a variety of blends and in the late 19th century, the entire production of Lowland distilleries was used for blends. The largest whisky producers are still located in the Lowlands. Among the largest are the Cameronbridge, North British and Strathclyde distilleries, which produce exclusively grain whisky. Dundashill, the largest malt whisky distillery in the second half of the 19th century, was located in the Lowlands region.
Lowland whiskies are often referred to as the Lowland ladies, which is intended to describe their lighter and gentler character compared to the often strong Highland or smoky Islay whiskies. The Lowland single malt usually has a mild and light body with floral, grassy and fruity notes and flavours of fresh grass, flowers, hay, citrus fruits (lemon), apples and pears. These are often accompanied by sweet hints of caramel, toffee, vanilla or honey. Lowland whiskies are traditionally unpeated or only very subtly peated. As a result, they lack the smoky character that characterises many other Scotch whiskies and, due to their mostly coastal location, maritime or salty notes are rather atypical. A special feature of some Lowland distilleries, above all Auchentoshan (and in future Rosebank again), is triple distillation. This process, which is otherwise more common in Ireland, results in a particularly pure, mild and light spirit with an often higher alcohol content of the new make.
Lowland whiskies represent an elegant and approachable side of the Scotch whisky spectrum. Their characteristic lightness, combined with floral and fruity notes, makes them an excellent choice for connoisseurs and explorers alike, while the region itself is undergoing an exciting transformation.
Remnants of the bottlings from some distilleries that no longer exist still circulate as rare and sought-after collector s items: Rosebank was generally regarded as the best Lowland malt, bottlings of old vintages from it still very rarely appear on the market after closure, old versions and bottlings from the iconic Rare Malts Selection are considered rarities.
There was also St Magdalene, an exceptional Scotch whisky from Linlithgow, which is also considered a sought-after rarity by connoisseurs and collectors, as well as Littlemill from Bowling, West Dunbartonshire and Kinclaith from Glasgow.