A GLASGOW distillery has launched the first single malt whisky to be made by an independent distillery in the city for more than 100 years.

The Glasgow Distillery Company, makers of the international award-winning Makar Gin, has announced the launch of 1770 Glasgow Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

With only 5,000 bottles existing globally, bottles will be allocated via a ballot with online registration opening today.

Named 1770 in a nod to the city’s forgotten past (the original Glasgow Distillery, now long-gone, was founded that year), the single malt is said to represent the beginnings of a renaissance for single malt whisky in the area. Created and crafted by the forward-thinking team at the distillery, with young and talented distillers at the core, state of the art equipment and traditional methods have been brought together to produce an exquisite product described as refreshing and warming, with hints of pear, rhubarb and custard on the nose, and a lingering peppery yet sweet finish.

Its founders say 1770 represents a bright new chapter; the “new spirit of Glasgow”.

The single malt whisky’s hometown has transformed into a hotbed of innovation in recent years, with more new businesses and events setting up in Glasgow than ever before. It’s this spirited mentality that helped to inspire 1770.

“Our surroundings have definitely shaped us,” said Liam Hughes, CEO and co-founder of The Glasgow Distillery Company.

“Glasgow is more industrious than industrial now – it’s somewhere that doesn’t stand still and always strives to better itself. And that’s exactly what we wanted for 1770; something distinctive, enterprising and of quality.”