Glenglassaugh is the sort of distillery that has never quite agreed to behave like a permanent institution. Built in 1874 by local businessman James Moir, it enjoyed an early spell of promise before the market turned sour and the doors shut in 1907. It returned in 1960, rebuilt for a more optimistic age, only to be mothballed again in 1986 when the “whisky loch” made pragmatists of even the most romantic owners. Its modern life properly begins with a revival in 2008, followed by another change of hands in 2013, and then a place in Brown-Forman’s Scotch portfolio from 2016.

All this stop start drama plays out on an unusually bracing stage: just beyond Portsoy, at Sandend Bay, where sea air and gull weather are not so much ambience as a working ingredient. The whisky is made with water drawn from Glassaugh Spring, and the kit looks reassuringly traditional, including an open-topped rake and plough mash tun, mostly wooden washbacks, and a single pair of boil-ball pot stills. Fermentations run to at least 60 hours, encouraging a medium-weight spirit with a notably fruity character and a honeyed, floral lift, and at certain times of year the distillery also produces peated spirit.

In the glass, the modern range leans into its coastal identity through cask choices that include bourbon, sherry, and selective fortified-wine influence, with expressions drawing on combinations that feature manzanilla, port, and red wine alongside the staples.