Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
When the clock struck midnight on December 31st, 1999 we ushered in a new millennium with around 90 operational malt distilleries in Scotland. Well, technically it was the start of the last year of the previous millennium, and some of those distilleries were mothballed, but that didn’t stop us partying like Prince suggested we should.
Now, 25 years later, we are quickly approaching 150 distilleries, with many of the legacy sites upscaling their capacity in the meantime. But by far the most interesting increase has been at the smaller end of things.
In 2000, there were a total of twelve distilleries operating at less than 1M litres per annum, and only a single distillery: Edradour, was operating at 100k litres per annum or less.
In 2025, there are now fifty distilleries operating at less than 1M litres, and a dozen operating at less than 100k. A four-fold and twelve-fold increase respectively. A huge increase indeed.
But what’s really interesting is that if you take the total production capacity by volume of all of these new distilleries combined, it barely registers when compared to the increases in capacity from the larger, legacy producers.
So, sure, we have more whisky filling warehouses than we’ve ever had in history, but arguably more interesting - to us as enthusiasts - is that we have way more brands and varieties of single malts than ever before. This is where the real dilemma comes in; the sheer scale of choice.
With more projects incoming - and providing that these existing distilleries continue - that number is only going to grow. This is a challenge for retailers; either through managing more and more SKUs or simply trying to find space on retail shelves to accommodate the ever-growing selection. It’s a challenge for us to - where do we concentrate our attention?
To focus on this brand variety, I’ve zoomed in on the distilleries at the tiny end of the scale. There are a number of malts out there - with more on the way - that are so tiny and so scarce that, these days, they make Edradour look like a juggernaut of whisky production. And yet, some are available.
I’ve picked a few interesting releases - and yet to be released - and while we’ll get as small as we’ve ever been on the vPub, I bet you’re not quite prepared for quite how small we’re going to get.
So, for this week, let’s get tiny. 🕵🏼♂️
What’s the smallest distillery you’ve tried malt from?
🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 streamyard.com/pal/d/5188931899359232
When the clock struck midnight on December 31st, 1999 we ushered in a new millennium with around 90 operational malt distilleries in Scotland. Well, technically it was the start of the last year of the previous millennium, and some of those distilleries were mothballed, but that didn’t stop us partying like Prince suggested we should.
Now, 25 years later, we are quickly approaching 150 distilleries, with many of the legacy sites upscaling their capacity in the meantime. But by far the most interesting increase has been at the smaller end of things.
In 2000, there were a total of twelve distilleries operating at less than 1M litres per annum, and only a single distillery: Edradour, was operating at 100k litres per annum or less.
In 2025, there are now fifty distilleries operating at less than 1M litres, and a dozen operating at less than 100k. A four-fold and twelve-fold increase respectively. A huge increase indeed.
But what’s really interesting is that if you take the total production capacity by volume of all of these new distilleries combined, it barely registers when compared to the increases in capacity from the larger, legacy producers.
So, sure, we have more whisky filling warehouses than we’ve ever had in history, but arguably more interesting - to us as enthusiasts - is that we have way more brands and varieties of single malts than ever before. This is where the real dilemma comes in; the sheer scale of choice.
With more projects incoming - and providing that these existing distilleries continue - that number is only going to grow. This is a challenge for retailers; either through managing more and more SKUs or simply trying to find space on retail shelves to accommodate the ever-growing selection. It’s a challenge for us to - where do we concentrate our attention?
To focus on this brand variety, I’ve zoomed in on the distilleries at the tiny end of the scale. There are a number of malts out there - with more on the way - that are so tiny and so scarce that, these days, they make Edradour look like a juggernaut of whisky production. And yet, some are available.
I’ve picked a few interesting releases - and yet to be released - and while we’ll get as small as we’ve ever been on the vPub, I bet you’re not quite prepared for quite how small we’re going to get.
So, for this week, let’s get tiny. 🕵🏼♂️
What’s the smallest distillery you’ve tried malt from?
🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 streamyard.com/pal/d/5188931899359232
