GlenWyvis Single Malt Whisky Inaugural Release

The Whisky

Dingwall’s first whisky in almost 100 years is a classic Highland Single Malt in every sense of the word, and the first step in a long journey.

Bottled at just over 3 years old, this 2018 batch will be quite grain forward (as you might expect from a younger whisky), showcasing the unique fruity maltiness of our extra long fermentation. Aged in 80% First Fill Tennessee Whiskey Barrels, 15% First Fill Moscatel Casks and 5% Refill Whisky Hogsheads, it has a light, balanced oak influence with a little dessert richness. The exact makeup of casks is likely to change between now and bottling, but our hope is to showcase the true, young character of our grain and distillation without overwhelming it with oak, using sherry as a complement rather than a base. 50% abv, non-chill filtered, no colouring added.

The Ingredients

  • Barley

    For 2018, we used 100% unpeated Concerto barley grown locally by a Co-operative, malted just down the road by Baird’s in Inverness.

  • Water

    Brought up from an on-site borehole, the process water has a very high mineral content by Highland standards, coming in at a perfect pH without adjustment.

  • Yeast

    Our Inaugural bottling uses classic Pinnacle distiller’s yeast, starting us off with a traditional flavour profile that will be familiar to anyone that loves single malts.

"Young whisky brings you so close to the grain. This is the first step and it is pure GlenWyvis."

Matthew Farmer, Distillery Manager

The Process

  • Fermentation

    After a long mash, our cold environment allows us to set the rich wort nice and cool, slowly fermenting at low temperatures. Most of our batches, including this bottling, are allowed an unusually long time for whisky – 6 full days in total. Realistically, the yeast has done its job quite early on, but by letting it sit longer, we’re able to create unusual, volatile, fruity flavours at the expense of efficiency.

  • Distillation

    Running every last drop out in our short, squat 2500L Forsyth wash still, the intense low wines are then finished in its sister 1700L spirit still. Everything done up to this point has been to enhance the grain character of our spirit, so we balance that with a fairly fine hearts cut, dipping into a spicy, cereal finish before the extra heavy, oily feints are redistilled (and re-cut) the next day.

  • Maturation

    Our traditional cold, damp, dunnage style warehouse (earth floors!) is very gentle on our wood and the angels, so there are a lot of 2018 casks that are likely years away from being ready. We’ve selected a particularly active batch of First Fill Tennessee Whiskey Barrels to make up the backbone of this first release. We also have a few incredible First Fill Moscatel Casks along with a Refill Whisky Hogshead.

  • Bottling

    Finally, we’ve chosen to bottle at 50% abv because that’s what we enjoy, and if you think it needs a teaspoon of water, it’s much easier to add than subtract. We are committed to never adding caramel colouring or blending based on looks alone. This is obviously a special release for us, but it’s also being made for drinking and enjoying, so hopefully you’ll crack a bottle open with us next year!