A Scottish distillery and micro-brewery have joined forces to produce the first ever genuine whisky ale from a distillery. The Tullibardine distillery in Perthshire is on the site of Scotland’s oldest brewery and is where King James IV made his first beer purchase after his coronation in 1488. The new beer has been named 1488 Whisky Ale: it comes in a bottle bearing the royal seal.
The beer is made from unfermented ‘wash’ produced at the distillery before being transported eight miles to Bridge of Allan brewery, where it is fermented with yeast and matured for weeks in Tullibardine’s oak whisky casks. It is sold, price £3.95 per bottle, from shops at both facilities.
The small Tullibardine distillery, near Gleneagles, 43 miles north of Edinburgh, is operated traditionally and welcomes visitors on tours which last 20 minutes or 1½ hours. There is a shop selling a wide range of gifts, and a restaurant, open all year round.
Bridge of Allan Brewery, in the town of the same name, welcomes visitors for free tours and tastings of its traditional Scottish beers, daily until September, then weekends only.
Websites: www.tullibardine.com; www.bridgeofallan.co.uk.
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