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Kythe Distillery is a new single malt Scotch whisky distillery at Hills of Bendochy Farm near Blairgowrie in Highland Perthshire, and it has now started production. Founded by Angus MacRaild, Jonny McMillan and Aaron Chan, Kythe sets out to recreate the character of mid-20th century Highland malt. Its defining feature is a 6,000-litre wash still heated directly by a wood fire, which Kythe describes as the only one of its kind in Scotland. The spirit is made from floor-malted Maris Otter barley, fermented with spent brewer’s yeast from Belhaven alongside a 1950s distiller’s yeast strain. First casks fill this autumn, a cask programme opens later in 2026, and the first bottling is expected in around eight years. There is a fire burning under a still in Perthshire again. Kythe Distillery has started production, and instead of steam coils, its wash still sits over a wood fire that runs hotter than 800°C. That single choice tells you most of what you need to know about the project. Kythe is not trying to be the most efficient new distillery in Scotland. It is trying to make whisky the way Highland distillers did in the 1950s and 1960s, and it has accepted the extra labour, cost and unpredictability that comes with it. The first casks of Kythe spirit will be laid down this autumn. What is Kythe Distillery? Kythe Distillery is a farm distillery built inside two former barns at Hills of Bendochy Farm, a working farm a few miles outside Blairgowrie. Perthshire sits in the southern part of Scotland’s Highland whisky region, so Kythe is legally and stylistically a Highland distillery. The name is a Scots word meaning to show, demonstrate or prove. It fits: the founders have spent 14 years working on the concept, and construction began in 2024. The set-up is compact. A one-tonne mash tun feeds traditional wooden washbacks, followed by the 6,000-litre wood-fired wash still and a 4,000-litre spirit still, both condensing through traditional worm tubs. Warehousing is on site, also converted from farm buildings. Annual capacity is targeted at 60,000 litres of pure alcohol (LPA). Kythe Distillery’s direct wood-fired still: why fire matters Direct firing means heat is applied straight to the base of the still, rather than through steam coils or pans inside it. Coal and gas direct firing were once common in Scotland. Wood is a different matter, and Kythe says it is the only distillery in the country running a direct wood-fired pot still today. The argument for it is about flavour. A direct flame creates hot spots on the copper, and solids in the wash can catch and caramelise on the base of the still. Jonny McMillan has previously compared the effect to the Maillard reaction on a steak over a barbecue. The team believes the result is a richer, more textured spirit. The cost is control. Angus MacRaild, Kythe’s Whisky Maker, is open about it: “It’s incredibly challenging to work with direct wood fire; there’s a lack of control, uncomfortable working conditions and at its heart it’s messy.” There is a second, less obvious benefit. Because the wood fire carries most of the distillery’s heat load, the rest of the process can run on electricity. Kythe’s engineers have estimated this cuts carbon dioxide emissions by around 94% compared with a similar-sized distillery running a kerosene boiler. Barley, yeast and long fermentations: rebuilding a 1960s recipe The wood fire gets the headlines, but the recipe behind it is just as deliberate. All Kythe spirit is currently made from Maris Otter, a low-yielding, protein-rich heritage barley best known among brewers. Most of it is grown on the farm, within sight of the distillery, and all of it is floor malted. Other heritage varieties are planned. Fermentation takes place in wooden washbacks with capacity to run for up to two weeks. For yeast, Kythe has gone back to an old practice: spent brewer’s yeast from Belhaven, Scotland’s oldest working brewery, pitched into every fermentation. Following archival research, the team co-pitches it with the original 1950s pressed M strain distiller’s yeast. The target is a specific one. Kythe wants the rich, exotic fruit character that drinkers associate with mature Highland malts distilled in that era. The people behind Kythe Kythe was founded by three friends who have each spent around two decades in whisky across brands, companies and clubs. Angus MacRaild is Whisky Maker, Jonny McMillan is Distillery Manager and Aaron Chan is Chairman. The distillery is funded by shareholders from more than ten countries, all of them whisky lovers rather than institutional investors, according to Chan. McMillan sums up the priorities with a line that will make some readers smile: “And don’t expect a gift shop any time soon.” Kythe Distillery at a glance - Location: Hills of Bendochy Farm, near Blairgowrie, Highland Perthshire, Scotland - Region: Highland - Founders: Angus MacRaild (Whisky Maker), Jonny McMillan (Distillery Manager), Aaron Chan (Chairman) - Production started: 2026 season, first casks filled autumn 2026 - Capacity: 60,000 LPA per year - Barley: Maris Otter, mostly grown on the farm, floor malted - Yeast: Belhaven spent brewer’s yeast co-pitched with 1950s pressed M strain distiller’s yeast - Fermentation: wooden washbacks, up to two weeks - Stills: 6,000L direct wood-fired wash still, 4,000L spirit still, worm tub condensers - Casks: mainly refill ex-bourbon and sherry, matured on site - First release: expected in around eight years When can you buy Kythe whisky? Not for a while. Kythe expects to bottle its first release in around eight years, or whenever the team believes the spirit is ready. The spirit is going into mainly refill ex-bourbon and sherry casks, a choice that keeps the wood in the background and lets the distillate do the talking. The earlier way in is the cask programme. Later this autumn, Kythe will offer private buyers the chance to purchase a cask of their own spirit. No pricing or launch date has been published yet, and we have not seen terms on international buyers. Details will be announced via @kythedistillery on Instagram and kythedistillery.com. Our take: a distillery worth following closely The idea is a good one. The few older Highland malts we have tasted from that era had a waxy, fruity weight that is hard to describe until you have had it in the glass. Kythe is trying to rebuild that from the ingredients up: barley, yeast, fermentation and fire, rather than reaching for it through cask finishes. Whether it works is a question for 2034 or so. What is clear already is that this is one of the most distinctive production set-ups to open in Scotland in years. If you are interested in how whisky flavour is made, rather than only how it is matured, Kythe is a distillery to put on your radar now. FAQ What is Kythe Distillery? Kythe Distillery is a new single malt Scotch whisky distillery at Hills of Bendochy Farm near Blairgowrie in Highland Perthshire. Founded by Angus MacRaild, Jonny McMillan and Aaron Chan, it began production in 2026 and aims to recreate the style of Highland malt made in the 1950s and 1960s using heritage barley, brewer’s yeast and a wood fire. What is a direct wood-fired still? A direct-fired still is heated by a flame applied straight to its copper base, rather than by internal steam coils. At Kythe, the 6,000-litre wash still sits over a wood fire that exceeds 800°C. The team believes the uneven heat and slight caramelisation on the still base produce a richer, more textured spirit. Is Kythe the only wood-fired distillery in Scotland? Kythe describes its wash still as the only direct wood-fired pot still in Scotland, and one of very few whisky stills worldwide heated this way. Its spirit still is heated separately, and both stills condense through traditional worm tubs. The wood fire also provides most of the distillery’s heat load. When will Kythe whisky be released? Kythe expects its first single malt release in around eight years, so roughly 2

The late May morning sun doesn’t mitigate the chill in the Scottish air as I step into a warehouse numbered 24. Inside, the temperature drops another ten degrees. It’s appropriately moody for a dunnage built a century ago. Particulate drifts through sparse beams of light, the aroma of whisky-soaked oak sits heavy, and wooden stairs creak underfoot as I climb to the second floor. Here stands the Balvenie’s malt master, Kelsey McKechnie, lit by a pin light. Beside her, the artist Daniel Arsham is washed in the same pale hue. A short, mysterious video plays, backed by a crescendo that would not be out of place in a Hans Zimmer score. Once it ends, servers approach from the rear of the warehouse, each balancing a tray of fluted drams. The theatrics are warranted. I’m about to taste the oldest Scotch whisky ever released for sale: the Balvenie 88. Several houses have battled for the title of “oldest Scotch.” Just last year, Gordon & MacPhail bottled a whisky from the Glenlivet that was aged for a 85 years, setting a benchmark that displaced the Macallan’s 84-year-old from its 2024 Time:Space collection. Now we have the Balvenie 88, which was distilled way back in 1931. At the time, Scotland was two years into a depression that was gutting its core industries; many distilleries shuttered or ran on skeleton crews. Those at the Balvenie who poured new-make spirit into a cask numbered 239 on March 5, 1931, had ample reason to doubt there would ever be a market for what they were laying down. Yet cask 239 spent decades of its dunnage life innocuously maturing with other casks, McKechnie tells me. Only a handful of workers were aware of its destiny. “It takes a lot of foresight and flexibility to be able to hold on to casks this long,” she says. After nearly eight decades, the whisky left cask 239, a large sherry butt, and was moved into a smaller cask for its final ten years of aging. When it turned 88 in 2019, the liquid was transferred into glass vessels, where it resided for seven more years until the distillery decided the time was right to release it. The Balvenie 88 was bottled at 86.4 proof, “the perfect balance between the flavor of the spirit and cask,” McKechnie says. When I finally take a sip, I’m not surprised to find the whisky transcendent. The nose opens on honey, melon, and hay. Behind them, green apple and toffee awaken, old oak arises from underneath, and a floral lift runs over the top. On the palate, I taste sweetness and salinity before warm leather and oxidized, sherried oak take over. A light pop of peat blossoms mid-palate then fades quickly back into honey. The finish carries petrichor and moss and a honey-nut-cereal note that outlasts everything else. What’s most surprising is how fresh and bright the liquid is. It’s jammy and juicy. The age is detectable, though it’s never overly tannic. It drinks with a vibrancy that the 85-year-old Glenlivet did not possess when I tried it. Such a beautiful liquid demands a beautiful presentation. The whisky is housed in a traditional hand-blown, gilded crystal decanter, which fits into a sculpture designed by Arsham. He layered on eight tiers of hand-patinated bronze, one per decade, an homage to the oxidation he saw creeping across the copper stills while touring the facility. The back side features 88 layers of oak, and the bottle sits on a copper disc culled from a decommissioned distillery still. Odds are low you’ll encounter the Balvenie 88 in the wild. Only 17 bottles exist, and most have sold to collectors at an undisclosed price. There’s no extra liquid, either. McKechnie has just one 50 milliliter sample bottle for herself—and only half is left. Thankfully, the team is bringing a bit of its magic to a wider market through two sister releases, a 12-year and a 15-year. The Balvenie 1931 Collection 12-year was rested for six months in bodega sherry and is bottled at 95 proof. The whisky gives notes of sweet cereal with toffee and honey following and light spice through the middle; sherry shines at the edges without taking over. That $100 expression will have a one-time release in the United States. The Balvenie 1931 Collection 15-year—95.6 proof—is a one-time travel retail exclusive for $200. That extra three years of aging pushed the expression toward candied territory, with a warming toffee and caramel depth the 12-year doesn’t have. As for the Balvenie 88, it’s unclear how long it will remain the world’s oldest Scotch. Would the Balvenie team only release something as special as this if they knew they could best it? “We always aspire to compete with ourselves,” McKechnie says. “I want to continue to release older and older whiskies if the flavor’s right.” Which begs the question: Is there a 100-year cask secretly mingling in a warehouse somewhere? “I already asked her that,” says Arsham. “She wouldn’t tell me either.” “Maybe I’ll see you in five years,” she says with a smile.