WHISKY I was invited to visit the site of the proposed
distillery by Drew Mackenzie-Smith, whose family have owned the abbey lands and the surrounding area for over a hundred years. On a cold and windy December morning,
I arrived at the farmhouse next to the abbey. Drew gave me a look at the plans and then we ventured outside. The abbey is under the protection of Historic Scotland, so it cannot be altered, but the distillery and a visitor centre would be built in the old farm buildings just across the road from the ruins. Drew is clearly excited about the project and
is not cutting any corners. Every decision, he says, will be based on facts and have a direct link to the abbey site in some way. He has hired Dr Jim Swan, a leading whisky and distilling expert, to make sure the spirit produced will be of the highest quality. One of whisky’s most influential writers, the
late Michael Jackson, discussed Lindores Abbey in his book Scotland and its Whiskies, saying that ‘for the whisky lover, it is a pilgrimage’. Drew, of course, treasures his copy, signed by the author. He hopes that once the distillery and visitor
centre are open, they will attract lots of tourists to the abbey. With Historic Scotland’s help, he hopes to get Lindores restored so that it can handle the influx of tourists. Considering how well developed the plans
are, it’s a surprise to hear that it was only a decade or so ago that Drew first came across the abbey’s historic link to whisky, and it was only
once he started researching the background story that he realised the importance of the abbey site. During his research he discovered that pretty much every major figure in Scot- tish history had visited the abbey or had some connection to it. I asked if he had any plans to make a gin,
‘During his research he discovered that pretty much every major figure in Scottish history had visited the abbey’
as many new distilleries do to get things going while they wait for their whisky stock to mature (you need to wait for a minimum of three years before you can call the resulting spirit whisky). He is as yet undecided, but says any gin he would make would be flavoured with local botanicals that had a link to the abbey. Newburgh is famous for a specific variety of pear, for example, and the monks would have had wild elderberry – these would be strong components of a Lindores Abbey gin. We also discussed the possibility making a
peated whisky. There is a peat bog just a few miles down the road from the abbey so the option is there to make a special run of peated spirit, not typical of Lowland whiskies. The water source will be the Holy Burn that
Below: The abbey fell into ruin during the Reformation and is now under the protection of Historic Scotland.
runs next to the site, which was dug out by the monks for making whisky. But the stills will have to be larger than the ones that Friar Cor used or Drew will have hardly any whisky to sell. The only problem is that Forsyth’s in Rothes, the world’s leading manufacturer of copper stills, has a two-year waiting list. I look forward to visiting the site again once
things are up and running and tasting the ‘aqua vitae’. If all goes to plan, the first bottles will hit the shelves in 2018.
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