Lochside: Founded: 1957 Pronunciation: “Lochseid” Meaning: “Lakeside or Lake Plate” Status: closed in 1992

The Lochside distillery was located in the port town of Montrose in the Scottish Highlands, between Dundee and Aberdeen. Before being converted into a distillery in 1957, it had been a brewery for over 200 years. Initially, only grain whisky was produced until 1961. The price pressure in the early 1960s led Joseph W. Hobbs (also the owner of Ben Nevis) to install four pot stills for the production of malt whisky. He was a proponent of “Blending at Birth,” meaning mixing whisky before aging it in oak casks. In 1970, the continuous still (grain) was dismantled, and within the next two years, the distillery was shut down until it was purchased by a Spanish company, which transported the whisky in large tankers to Spain for blending. In 1992, the distillery was permanently closed, and after a fire in 2005, all the buildings had to be demolished.

The whisky’s style is light, mild, slightly smoky, fruity, sweet, and malty.