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Colourful can-size cocktails on sale at FDC1083
FDC at 1-0-8-3 rolls off the tongue but you probably don't want to spill a drop of the carefully constructed cocktails currently available at the pop-up bar at 1083 Argyle St, a funny wee ground-level building in Glasgow's hippest neighbourhood, Finnieston. If you look it up on Google Street View it seems that it was the Condra Dental Labratory before!
So what is the FDC?
Well, once upon a time an actual physical whisky distillery did exist in Finnieston, one which unusually added herbs and spices to enhance the flavour profile. Following in those steps somewhat, the modern day Finnieston Distillery Company is not about tradition and all about easy-drinking cocktails. You see, the Finnieston Distillery Company make ready-to-drink whisky cocktails aimed mainly at non-whisky drinkers what with their bright colourful cans and summery fruit flavours. Whisky snobs may be offended but they are approved by the Scotch Whisky Association and their water of life is provided by Douglas Laing of Scallywag and Timorous Beastie fame, among others.
Coming to a shop near you soon
There are four varieties, each 5% ABV and ready to be knocked back from the 330ml can. Pouring into a glass and adding ice is optional but they should certainly be kept refrigerated. They now have country-wide distribution and two of the flavours will be on sale in B&M stores nationwide soon!
All four, however, are available right now from the pop-up at 1083 so here's the full range...
Shanghai sour
Living up to its name this has a sharp bitter lemon bite to it and is probably best drunk upon the sea to prevent you getting scurvy! I jest, but actually, Shanghai literally means "upon the sea" in Mandarin. Sticking with China and there's some Lapsang tea there too and a wee bit of honey but not enough to mask the main acidic flavour. Perfect for a really hot summers day. FDC recommended that this is served in a glass over ice with a cherry garnish.
Old fashioned green tea
A modern twist on the traditional 'Old Fashioned'. This is simply whisky and green tea syrup. There's nothing outlandish going on here and it's neither too sweet nor too sour so a nice easy going cocktail when you want the taste of whisky but not the alcohol content (this one might even be healthy for you, who knows?)! The recommended serve is in a glass over ice with a twist of orange peel.
Scotch on the beach
What's better than sex on the beach? Why Scotch on the beach of course! This sweet strawberry offering has a lot of vanilla and a hint of ginger beer, so would be ideal for drinking on the beach on a warm sunny day. This was my favourite actually, it tastes like alcoholic strawberries and cream! Serve this one in a glass with ice, a wedge of lime and sliced strawberry to garnish.
Finnieston Fling
The fling throws together whisky, natural ginger ale, lemon, lime and mint, in fact, it's full of mint, which seems to be a bit of a Marmite effect we discovered as some people love it while others hate it! I am quite partial to it.
And so, there you have it, the four flavoursome flavours from the Finnieston Distillery Company, available now from 1083 Argyle Street and B&M soon...
Contact / Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FinniestonDC
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finniestondc/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FinniestonDC
Website: www.finniestondistillery.co.uk
FDC1083 Opening hours
Times are subject to change so keep an eye on the Finnieston Distillery Twitter feed!
Getting there by public transport
First bus numbers 2, 3 etc. stop nearby on Argyle Street. Trains run every 5 - 15 minutes from Glasgow Central to Exhibition Centre, a 5-min walk away.
Disclaimer: we were kindly invited into FDC1083 for a special tasting session so received free drinks in exchange for coverage. Fred reckons that this was good work as the money we didn't spend on booze was spent buying kitty kibbles instead!
