Kilkerran-Glengyle 12 Year Old 46%

Kilkerran-Glengyle 12 Year Old 46%

Glengyle

Founded by William Mitchell (son of Campbeltown’s Springbank distillery owner Archibald Mitchell) in 1872. The family were both farmers and whisky distillers with William and his brother John running Springbank after their father and their other brother and sister running the old Rieclachan distillery. This was until there was a quarrel over sheep between John and William leading to his solo establishment of Mitchell’s Glengyle distillery. In the early 20th century like most Campbeltown industry, Glengyle suffered and was sold to West Highland Malt distilleries LTD in 1919, then resold in 1924 with resulted a cease in production in 1925 and all stock sold off. However the Glengyle buildings remained in constant use between housing the local rifle club, agricultural depot and sales office meaning the buildings have remained well preserved and maintained. There have been a number of attempts to reopen Glengyle as a distillery but finally in 2000, 75 years after the last spirit was produced the building were bought by a new company ‘Mitchell’s Glengyle LTD’ of J&A Mitchell and Co LTD, a great-great nephew of the original William Mitchell, reopening in 2004 and once again producing whisky. Kilkerran is the name that was chosen for the single malt produced at Mitchell’s Glengyle Distillery, there are two reasons for this. Firstly, because the name Glengyle is already used for a blended Highland malt and Mitchell’s Glengyle Ltd were not able to purchase the rights to use that name. They also wished to avoid any possible confusion between the newest single malt to come from the Campbeltown region and a pre-existing blended Highland malt. Secondly, and more importantly, Mitchell’s Glengyle Ltd are very proud to be continuing and adding to the great Campbeltown Distilling tradition and the choice of name reflects that. Kilkerran is derived from the Gaelic ‘Ceann Loch Cille Chiarain’ which is the name of the original settlement where Saint Kerran had his religious cell and where Campbeltown now stands. Kilkerran is thought to be a suitable name for a new Campbeltown malt since it was unusual for the old Campbeltown distilleries to be called after a Glen, a custom more usually associated with the Speyside region. Today Glengyle distillery remains within the Mitchell group of distilleries in Campbeltown; Springbank, Hazelburn and Longrow (Mitchell”s Glengyle LTD, 2024).