Lindores Abbey Visit

Lindores Abbey is a relatively new distillery, beginning production of spirit in 2017 in the village of Newburgh, Fife. 

However, distilling was taking place here as early as 1494. The earliest written reference to Scotch Whisky (or Aqua Vitae, as it was then known), appears in the Exchequer Roll of the same year. It mentioned a Brother John Cor, a Lindores monk, who was commissioned by King James IV to turn 8 bolls of malt into Aqua Vitae. That amounts to around 500kg in today's money and would have been enough to make about 400 bottles of whisky.

I visited along with a willing fiancee, bulldog and two very unwilling kids in July 2019 for a tour and some lunch afterwards. 

Initial impressions on arriving was that the place was immaculate. A lot of care and attention to detail has been incorporated into the design of the building with a lot of the materials used in the build sourced from the local area.

The 50 foot long oak table was the main focus of attention. Located in The Cloister link between the visitor centre and the still room, it  held a few interesting bits and pieces which helped describe the history of the abbey and the monks who stayed there. 

The distillery is actually across the road from the abbey, with the glass fronted still room looking directly over the ruins.

The tour was a pretty relaxed affair and we were fortunate to be the only ones on it. A big plus point is that Gus the Bulldog was allowed to tag along too! Ronnie, the tour guide was a good laugh and he did his best to entertain our bored kids on the way round which wasn't an easy task. We visited during maintenance week so there was not a lot going on but it was good to see around and get a feel for the place.

It was clear from the outset the team at Lindores are very passionate about staying true to the roots of the abbey and its history as the earliest site of (legal) whisky distillation in Scotland. The water used for distilling is drawn from the same borehole which would have been used in 1494. All the barley used is grown in Fife and they have plans to use locally grown Lindores barley exclusivley by the end of 2019. 

Mashing is performed in a conventional copper tun. Fermentation happens in traditional wooden washbacks. Three Forsyths copper pot stills take care of the distillation, one wash still and two spirit stills. Ronnie said they were going for a light, delicate, very Lowland type spirit. One interesting fact is that the road which runs between the abbey and the distillery is actually one of the borders seperating the Highland and Lowland regions. When the distillery was being planned, they had to decide what side of the road to build it on and the subsequent region the spirit it would be classed as.

The warehouse holds all sorts of casks sourced from around the world. From the website the following are listed:

Firkin Ex R Wine Charred

Ex R Wine Charred

Sherry Firkin

Ex Bourbon Firkin

Sherry

Bourbon Quarter Cask

Refill Quarter Cask

Peated Refill Quarter Cask

Old Forrester ASB

Peated Refill ASB

STR (Wine Barrique)

Bourbon Hogshead

Refill Sherry Hogshead

2nd Refill Sherry Hogshead

Refill Whisky Butt

Refill Whisky Puncheon

Oloroso Sherry Butt

Port Pipe

So it would seem quite a bit of experimentation is going on!

Unlke a lot of other new distilleries who make gin whilst waiting on the whisky to mature, Lindores Abbey have decided to further embrace their history and produce Aqua Vitae. Recreated from the 1494 recipe, the new make spirit is infused with a blend of herbs and spices, including cleavers (sticky willies!), which grow in their gardens around the abbey.

At the end of the tour we got a dram of Aqua Vitae and also another mixed with ginger ale which is a lovely summer drink. I was driving, so was given a nice bag containing a couple of samples and a can of ginger ale which was a nice touch.

Ronnie, Gus and I 

After the tour we headed out to the abbey ruins for a picnic lunch. Lindores provided amazing boxed lunches for us all (they have to be pre-booked 24 hours in advance so don't forget if you are planning on something to eat) and some blankets to sit on. This was the kid's favorite part of the day. They still talk about how good the lunches were!
 

After an hour or so in the abbey grounds, we returned back to the visitor centre for a browse around the shop. I decided to join the Lindores Abbey preservation society for £60. For that I got 

• A bottle from the first Limited Edition bottling of Lindores Abbey Aqua Vitae 
• Early access to any other Limited Edition bottlings
• A welcome pack including 2 tickets to visit the Distillery and Abbey (which I used to pay for the tour)
• A donation is made in your name to the Preservation Society
• 10% discount on the Online Shop

There is also a higher tier of membership, the 1494, which gives a lot of other benefits. Though as much as I'd have liked to join, it was a bit out of my budget (£500)

All in all, a great wee day out. The distillery and folks who work there are fantastic and I for one am looking forward to seeing what they produce over the next few years.

Thanks to @JasonGilluley  for sending me a wee dram of this @LindoresAbbey  Cask #289 which was in the recent @fifewhiskyfest Twitter Tasting. Drawn from a bourbon hogshead, I think it's only a year old, but it smells absolutely divine

New make spirit is there but so are iced doughnuts, cream buns, kola kubes, shoe polish and something herb like. Bonkers nose, new make forward taste, but a lot of promise. Can't wait till the first official bottling is released now.

Lindores Abbey is located: 
Lindores Abbey Distillery, Abbey Road, Newburgh, Fife, KY14 6HH