It’s one of the prettiest distilleries in Scotland and now Lindores Abbey – known as the “the spiritual home of whisky” – is selling its own single malt for the first time.

The first general release – The Lindores Single Malt MCDXCIV (1494) – is available various independent stockists and online. A limited run of bottles with commemorative packaging containing the same exemplary spirit are also available to mark the special occasion

Lindores Abbey Distillery’s Lowland single malt is released 527 years after distillation was first recorded at the Fife abbey in 1494.

While 1,494 bottles of the inaugural Lindores Abbey release were dispatched for members of its 1494 Society in the spring, the two new releases are the first to be made available for purchase by the public.

The earliest written reference to Scotch whisky – or Aqua Vitae as it was known then – appeared in the Exchequer Roll in 1494 and names Lindores Abbey monk, Brother John Cor, who was commissioned by King James IV to turn “eight bolls of malt” into Aqua Vitae.

Owned by Helen and Drew McKenzie Smith, Lindores Abbey Distillery opened to the public in 2017 after 20-plus years of planning and research.

Lindores Abbey was founded in 1191 by David Earl of Huntingdon, on land overlooking the River Tay, given to him by his brother King William I. It was visited by kings and queens, warriors and statesmen. William Wallace took refuge there with 300 of his men after their victory over the English.

Built directly on the site of the Lindores dairy farm steading Drew McKenzie Smith’s great-grandfather bought in 1913, the Lindores Abbey Distillery and Visitor Centre has been crafted from original Abbey stone.

The distillery and visitor centre have been awarded coveted five-star accreditation by VisitScotland.


www.lindoresabbeydistillery.com