After ten hours on a plane to London, another hour up to Glasgow, and twenty minutes in the rental car to the hotel, all we could think about was evening cocktails in Finnieston. We walked over to Porter & Rye at 5:30 PM yesterday to finally relax and have ourselves a drink. Vic went for the Macallan Old Fashioned, while I sipped on a Dirty Gibson with Scottish gin and some insanely bulbous onions.
Meeting us there was my longtime friend and current proprietor of The Clydeside Distillery: Mr. Stan Morrison. If you recognize the last name it’s because Stan’s family used to own Morrison Bowmore, including the three distilleries that now fall under the Beam-Suntory umbrella: Bowmore, Auchentoshan, and Glen Garioch. Stan and I have been fast friends for more than a decade, dating back to when Stan met his wife in San Francisco and lived near me in the city. I was excited for Vic to meet him, and very much enjoyed listening to them talk business.
As we snacked on the bone marrow appetizer, Stan laid out some of the scary economics facing the Scotch whisky industry that include higher prices not just for shipping and logistics, but also the barley itself. “The Ukraine is actually a big supplier of barley for Europe,” he explained while discussing some of the global-political challenges facing distillers. With the cost per ton already 25% higher than it was last year, some distillers believe the war could potentially double the price of barley for distillers by 2023. With glass and packaging materials in short supply as well, don’t expect prices to come down for your favorite single malt any time soon.
We all split the rib eye and the decadent burger after numerous small plates, along with a selection of various single malts. Having built a distillery based in downtown Glasgow to focus on local tourism, Stan joked about the irony of that situation during COVID, but noted The Clydeside was able to weather the storm and come out swinging in 2022. We’re headed over that way later today for a full scale tour and sampling of their new 4+ year old distillate. I’m very excited to try it.
-David Driscoll