'What on earth is a teapot dram,' we hear you cry? Read on for spiritual enlightenment.
Until the 1970s, workers at Glengoyne Distillery were given three fingers of whisky, three times each day.
Most distilleries gave their teams new make spirit, but not Glengoyne. At Glengoyne, the finest whisky from first fill Oloroso sherry casks was chosen for the distillery workers’ drams.
While seasoned distillery employees took this all in their stride, it proved a bit much for the younger workers.
The less seasoned stillmen would, to save face, discreetly pour some of their untouched drams into a copper teapot which sat on the canteen windowsill, ready for their older colleagues.
Pictured L-R are Billy Edmiston and Duncan McNicoll, two of the original Glengoyne teapot drammers, sharing a whisky with Blair Mitchell. Blair is a Warehouseman at Glengoyne Distillery and, at 20 years old, is the youngest member of the Glengoyne production team.
As you might imagine, this tradition has not survived into this more health and safety-conscious era.
However, Glengoyne have, in a fashion, kept the tradition alive.
Bottled at cask strength
The internationally-acclaimed Teapot Dram collection has been recreated by the men who, with more than 40 years of experience at Glengoyne Distillery, can recall first-hand those days gone by.
The sixth release in the coveted Teapot Dram series, Batch No. 006 is matured in first fill Oloroso sherry oak casks and has a natural, rich amber hue and notes of cinnamon, marzipan and cloves. Non chill filtered it is bottled at the cask strength of 59.3% ABV.
Some 2772 bottles of Teapot Dram Batch No. 006 are available to purchase exclusively from the Glengoyne Distillery shop and online at £90 a bottle.
Big Deal on tour and tasting
If you need an excuse to swing by the distillery to pick up a bottle then take a peek at this Big Deal on a distillery tour and whisky tasting.
For £29, two people can experience the Gold Medal Parade tour at Glengoyne Distillery – includes a full distillery tour and four award-winning whiskies plus a complimentary glass.