Lowland single malts are

single malt whiskies Single malt whisky is malt whisky from a single distillery. Single malts are typically associated with single malt Scotch, though they are also produced in various other countries. Under the United Kingdom's Scotch Whisky Regulations, a "Sing ...

distilled in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

lowlands Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of a ...

. The region is home to distilleries such as: Annandale in

Annan Annan may refer to: People * Annan (surname) Places Australia * Annan River, Queensland, a river just south of Cooktown Canada * Annan, Ontario, a community within the municipality of Meaford China * Annan (Tang protectorate), the so ...

; Auchentoshan near

Clydebank Clydebank () is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, it borders the village of Old Kilpatrick (with Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, Bowling and Milton, West Dunbartonshire, Milton beyond) to the w ...

; Bladnoch in

Galloway Galloway ( ; ; ) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the counties of Scotland, historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council areas of Scotland, council area of Dumfries and Gallow ...

;

Daftmill Daftmill distillery is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery, located in a converted barn at Daftmill Farm in the Howe of Fife. The distillery was granted a licence by HMRC in 2005 to produce whisky and the first was produced on 16 December 20 ...

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

; The Girvan Distilleries near

Girvan Girvan (, "mouth of the River Girvan") is a burgh and harbour town in Carrick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Girvan is situated on the east coast of the Firth of Clyde, with a population of about 6,450. It lies south of Ayr, and north of St ...

; and

Glenkinchie distillery Glenkinchie distillery is a Scotch single malt whisky distillery in East Lothian, Scotland. It is one of the six distilleries in the Lowland region. It is owned by the drinks giant Diageo. History Glenkinchie lies, as the name might suggest, ...

near

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. Several new distilleries have begun to produce new-make spirit in recent years, including

Kingsbarns Kingsbarns is a village and parish in Scotland lies near the eastern coast of Fife, in an area known as the East Neuk, southeast of St Andrews and north of Crail. The name derives from the area being the location of the barns used to store gr ...

, InchDairnie and

Lindores Abbey Lindores Abbey was a Tironensian abbey on the outskirts of Newburgh in Fife, Scotland. Now a reduced ruin, it lies on the southern banks of the River Tay, about north of the village of Lindores and is a scheduled monument. The abbey was ...

, all in Fife, and at Ardgowan. At least six other lowland single malts are still available, but are no longer distilled: Rosebank (currently undergoing revival), Kinclaith, St. Magdalene, Ladyburn, Inverleven, and Littlemill.

Lighter flavours

As a region, the Lowlands have been more strongly associated with

grain whisky Grain whisky normally refers to any whisky made, at least in part, from grains other than malted barley. Frequently used grains include maize, wheat, and rye. Grain whiskies usually contain some malted barley to provide enzymes needed for mashin ...

and

blended whisky A blended whiskey (or blended whisky) is the product of Blending (alcohol production), blending different types of whisky, whiskeys and sometimes also Rectified spirit, neutral spirits, colorings, and flavorings. It is generally the product of mixi ...

than malt whisky. Blended whisky often uses a high proportion of Lowland malt, as the less intense flavour profile means it does not dominate the other constituent whiskies. In terms of Lowlands whisky flavour, the character of the malt often comes through strongly, with a soft body, according to another report. Traditionally the barley used has been unpeated, possibly because the Lowlands, East Lothian in particular, had a strong coal-mining industry. Auchentoshan distillery - geograph

Another review states that most of the region's whiskies tend to be "lighter and grassier" without the "smoky" flavour produced by peat.A Comprehensive Guide to Scotland’s Whisky Regions
/ref> However, in recent years lowland distilleries such as Ailsa Bay and Annandale have become characterised by their use of peat, with a flavor profile more typical of Islay whiskey. According to an August 2019 report, Auchentoshan is the region's only distillery still making whisky that is triple

distill Distillation, also classical distillation, is the process of separation process, separating the component substances of a liquid mixture of two or more chemically discrete substances; the separation process is realized by way of the selective ...

ed which leads to "an edge of citrus flavour".

Legal status

The distinction between the Lowlands and the Highlands was originally drawn by the 1784 Wash Act. Highland distilleries were taxed based upon the size of their still; Lowland distilleries were taxed per gallon in the wash. This led to outrage from Lowland distillers over their comparably high duty rates. Today the term Lowland is a "protected locality" for Scotch Whisky distilling under UK Government legislation. The modern Lowland–Highland line is drawn by the

Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 ( statutory instrument (UK)">statutory instrument that regulates the production, labelling, advertising and packaging of Scotch whisky. The regulations were laid before the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 30 ...

as follows: Lindores Abbey Distillery

This line is distinct from the geological Highland Fault line to the north. If the geological line were used, several Highland distilleries would become Lowland ones, including

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; ) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault (HBF), often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Central Scotland and the Highlands.Tom Weir. ''The Scottish Lochs''. pp. 33-43. Published by ...

and

Fettercairn Fettercairn (, ) is a small village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, northwest of Laurencekirk in Aberdeenshire on the B966 from Edzell. Fettercairn is also reached via the Cairn O' Mount road (B974) from Deeside. The name comes from the Scott ...

. According to ''Visit Scotland'', the Lowlands region covers "much of the Central Belt and the South of Scotland including Edinburgh & The Lothians, Glasgow & The Clyde Valley, the Kingdom of Fife, Ayrshire, Dumfries & Galloway and the Scottish Borders". There were 18 distilleries in the region as of 2019, including some that opened quite recently, such as

Clydeside Greater Glasgow is an urban settlement in Scotland consisting of all localities which are physically attached to the city of Glasgow, forming with it a single contiguous urban area (or conurbation). It does not relate to municipal government ...

and

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

List of Lowland single malt distilleries

Active

* Ailsa Bay * Annandale * Ardgowan * Auchentoshan * Bladnoch * Bonnington *

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* Eden Mill * Falkirk * Glasgow 1770 * Glenkinchie * Holyrood * InchDairnie *

Jackton Jackton is a small village lying just on the western periphery of East Kilbride in South Lanarkshire, on the B764 road (otherwise known as the 'Eaglesham Road') connecting it to the village of Eaglesham. It is also adjacent to Thorntonhall, and ...

* Lagg *

* Lochlea * Moffat * Port of Leith * Rosebank

In development

* Burnbrae * The Clutha

Closed or demolished

* Inverleven * Littlemill ** Bottlings of Littlemill are periodically released by the Loch Lomond Group, who took on ownership of the distillery shortly before its closure. * Lochrin * St. Magdalene