Glasgow’s Port Dundas distillery, founded in 1811, was a pivotal yet often overlooked landmark in Scotland’s whisky industry. Initially a malt distillery, it soon shifted to grain whisky production with Coffey stills. In 1860, it merged with Cowlairs distillery, and in 1902 absorbed Dundashill, then the world’s largest pot still distillery. By 1885, Port Dundas was Scotland’s largest distillery, producing over two million gallons annually using American corn, barley, and rye. It was a founding member of the Distillers Company Limited (DCL) in 1877, supplying grain whisky for major blends like Johnnie Walker and Haig. Despite surviving fires and wartime closures, it modernized in the 1970s. However, in 2010, owner Diageo consolidated production at Cameronbridge, leading to Port Dundas’s closure and demolition in 2011. We review two independent bottlings from the now-defunct distillery: the Port Dundas 46 and 47yo Scott’s Selection.
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