In 1494, a friar at Lindores Abbey was recorded in Scotland's Exchequer Rolls making "aqua vitae" for King James IV — the earliest written evidence of Scotch whisky production in existence. Today Lindores Abbey Distillery revives that very story, using herbs foraged from the abbey's own ruins.
The Expert's Description
Lindores Abbey Distillery Aqua Vitae is a spiced Aqua Vitae from Scotland, bottled at 40%. The bottle is the distillery's tribute to the famous 1494 record, in which the friar John Cor was issued malt to brew "aqua vitae" — the term of the day for what we now call whisky.
Rather than resting in cask, Lindores Abbey macerates and infuses the spirit with herbs and plants foraged from the abbey ruins: sweet cicely, cleavers and lemon verbena, rounded out with douglas fir. The base is distilled in traditional pot stills, and the result is a natural, herbal spirit with no added sugar — a living echo of how aqua vitae may have tasted long before whisky as we know it existed.
Tasting Notes
Nose
Light top notes of peach and pear, giving way slowly to ginger, clove and cinnamon.
Palate
Rich caramel sweetness meets the fresh herbs from the ruins, with a faint resinous note of fir in the background.
Finish
Light and herbal, as the spices fade gently into a fresh, green close.
Specifications
Name: Lindores Abbey Distillery Aqua Vitae
Distillery: Lindores Abbey Distillery
Country: Scotland
Type: Aqua Vitae
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
EAN: 5060552420003
Serving suggestion: Serve chilled as an aperitif or in a simple highball with tonic.
Flavour Profile
Herbal · Spiced · Fruity · Sweet
Did You Know?
Lindores Abbey sits on the very ground where, in 1494, the earliest written record of aqua vitae was delivered to the Scottish crown — an entry historians now regard as the birth certificate of Scotch whisky.
See our full range of Lindores Abbey Distillery
Listen to our podcast:
