Distillery photo with kind permission by Teimei Horiuchi

Moffat distillery was located in Airdrie and was one of the most recently founded Scottish distilleries, as it was built in 1965. by Inver House which was a subsidiary of Publicker Industries Philadelphia. 1988 saw a management buyout and Inver House became an independent company.

The distillery produced Garnheath grain whisky, along with Glen Flagler and Killyloch single malts. Islebrae was a peated Glen Flagler experiment.

Killyloch stopped being produced in the early 1970's, Glen Flagler in 1985 & Garnheath in 1986.

All stills were removed and now only warehouses remain.

More info here from Malt Madness

Garnheath (single grain)

General whisky characteristics: Aromaic, butterscotch, toffee, smooth

Garnheath, Single grain, 40y, 47.9% ABV

'Clan Denny' bottling from D. Laing

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Rich gold

Nose: Very aromatic with butterscotch, light toffee, a hint of nuts and even some mlk chocolate in the background.

Palate: Rich but very smooth and also very solid with butterscotch, tropical fruits and what I can only describe as chocolate coated cardamom seeds.

With 4 drops of water: A lighter but more floral nose and the palate is even smoother with more toffee and hints of cocoa.

With 4 more drops of water: The nose is now even more aromatic butterscotch and the palate is extremely creamy toffee with cocoa and banana which leads into the finish.

Finish: Long, then even longer with water.

Overall Impression: Marvellous, an absolute delight!

D. Laing XOP, Garnheath, Single grain, 41y, 48.9% ABV

Cask Ref. DL 11029, one of 141 bottles

Distilled Feb. 1974, bottled Dec. 2015

Original cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Pale yellow gold

Nose: Sweet with a mild nuttiness (almondhazelnut) and some fruitiness possibly like pear.

Palate: Very creamy mouth-feel with some fruitiness but more tropical like papaya now. There are also hints of butterscotch or very mild cream toffee.

Finish: Long

Overall Impression: Most enjoyable.

Glen Flagler

I am assured by the owner that this is the original spirit safe used for Glen Flagler spirit.

Glen Flagler was only produced between 1965 & 1985 making it one of the rarest and hardest to find single malts, although some expressions were produced as "Pure Malt" (vatted bottlings).

General whisky characteristics: Farmy, slightly peppery, but light and fresh.

Glen Flagler, Pure Malt, 40% ABV

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

"Dram-atics" live review

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Light yellow

Nose: Hints of light rubber in a working farmyard. Also peppery malt which slowly and progressively freshens almost to a suggestion of mint.

Palate: Smooth and fresh across the whole palate, whilst a distinct light liquorice concentrates purely on the front centre of the tongue outlasting the rest of the sensations by a long time.

Finish: Very long liquorice sensation right on the front middle of the tongue, when all else has faded.

Overall Impression: This is a bottle which I acquired some time ago quite cheaply, but then it is a "Pure Malt" under the name of Glen Flagler, so sadly it isn't one of their now famed rare single malts. Obviously since November 2009 this would now have to be called a "Blended Malt" after all the confusion of the older Pure Malt naming by some companies. Is it really a Glen Flagler? Well the label says so, but how much Glen Flagler single malt is in this bottle? Or even is there any Glen Flgler single malt in this bottle? These are all questions that I cannot answer, but what I can say is that this may initially seem a weak whisky, but give it time and it packs a surprising punch from the end of the palate into the finish. If anything, it's let down by the 40% abv as it does appear just a little watery. Give it 46% or 50% and I can imagine it would be quite similar in style to a good Dallas Dhu, which can't be all bad!

Glen Flagler, Rare All-Malt Scotch, 100% Pot Still Scotch Whisky, 40% ABV

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€ (Now a rarity / collectible)

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Extremely pale yellow

Nose: Moderately sweet with a light grassiness which steadily grow more floral and aromatic with time in the glass. It's light, sweet, floral and slightly citrus.

Palate: Immediately very warming in a gentle and light way, but very quickly fades. The palate has a strong suggestion of citrus with lots of lime. The second sip lasts longer, not fading as quickly and even repeats a little, but there's always and only that gentle lime.

Finish: Medium

Overall Impression: Quite unusual, soft, gentle, very light and always a suggestion of lime.