All the benefits of working at a distillery,
without actually working at a distillery.
We think that the most exciting place in any distillery is the samples room.
Scores of samples collected by the warehouse team for quality control on the maturation of their spirits. What whisky fan doesn’t dream about access to a place like that?
We started production at the Port of Leith Distillery in February 2024, but we’d been busy creating our whisky for many years before that. You can read all about the years of research that we’ve undertaken into yeast and fermentation in whisky production here.
We’ve now created spirits with each of the yeast strains that we identified during our research programme, and they are available exclusively as the first package in an 8-year membership to The Quality Control Division - an 8-year subscription to the sample room of our distillery.
Join us on a journey
Members of our Quality Control Division aren’t just passive recipients of bottles. We genuinely want to get you involved in Quality Control.
Members are invited to annual tastings at our distillery with an exclusive session hosted by Head of Whisky, Viabhav Sood, and our Co-CEO Ian Stirling. We share the full story of the business journey that we’re under-going, as well as a detailed analysis of the whisky production process and decisions that we’re making along the way.
For those who can’t make the tastings in person, future batches are sent out by post, with an invitation to an online tasting session with Ian and Vaibhav.
Every time you visit our distillery bar and shop, you receive a 15% discount on all of our own branded products - a discount that lasts throughout the 8 years of membership.
Quality Control Division:
Tier 1 Membership - Analyst
8 years
2 x 20CL New Make Spirit Samples
14 x 20cl Single Cask Samples
2 x 70CL 7YO bottle
£550. (Inc. UK P&P)
Starter pack includes :
1. Samples of our new make spirits (see below).
2. A QCD Notebook for your tasting notes
3. A QCD T-Shirt (we will contact you to find out your size).
4. A QCD Membership Card that activates a 15% discount at our shops, online shop and the future distillery bar.
5. A Port of Leith Distillery pencil and some stickers.
Scroll down for Terms & Conditions.
Day 1
In your starter pack, you will receive a sample of each of the two styles of new make spirits that we’ve created in our first year of production. New Make 1 was produced using a yeast strain called Voss Kveik. New Make 2 was produced using a Belgian Ale yeast strain.
These spirits will only ever be available through the Quality Control Division - an exclusive part of our history.
Year 1-7
By late 2025, our new make spirits will have spent 12 months maturing in casks. We will send you a 20cl single cask sample of each of them so that you can see how they’re progressing. It’s amazing to discover just how much colour and flavour is transferred to the spirit in the first year.
We will repeat this process for the next 6 years, sending you a sample of each of our yeast strains as they mature in cask.
Year 8
By 2031, each spirit has spent 7 years in casks. Next year, we will blend these spirits to create our inaugural vintage release.
As the final step on this journey. you’ll get a full 70cl bottle of single cask whisky from each yeast strain, completely exclusive to the QCD.
Quality Control Division:
Tier 2 Membership - Archivist
8 years
4 x 20CL New Make Spirit Samples
28 x 20cl Single Cask Samples
4 x 70CL 7YO Bottles
£900. (Inc. UK P&P)
Starter pack includes :
1. Samples of our new make spirits (see below).
2. A QCD Notebook for your tasting notes
3. A QCD T-Shirt (we will contact you to find out your size).
4. A QCD Membership Card that activates a 15% discount at our shops, online shop and the future distillery bar.
5. A Port of Leith Distillery pencil and some stickers.
Scroll down for Terms & Conditions.
Day 1
In your starter pack, you will receive 2 samples of each of the two styles of new make spirits that we’ve created in our first year of production. New Make 1 was produced using a yeast strain called Voss Kveik. New Make 2 was produced using a Belgian Ale yeast strain.
These spirits will only ever be available through the Quality Control Division - an exclusive part of our history.
Year 1-7
By late 2025, our new make spirits will have spent 12 months maturing in casks. We will send you 2 x 20cl single cask samples of each of them so that you can see how they’re progressing. It’s amazing to discover just how much colour and flavour is transferred to the spirit in the first year.
We will repeat this process for the next 6 years, sending you a sample of each of our yeast strains as they mature in cask.
Year 8
By 2031, each spirit has spent 7 years in casks. Next year, we will blend these spirits to create our inaugural vintage release.
As the final step on this journey. you’ll get a full 70cl bottle of single cask whisky from each yeast strain, completely exclusive to the QCD.
FAQs
I live outside the UK. Can I purchase a membership?
We are unable to send packs to addresses outside the UK. However, you can sign up to our recomended fulfilment partner Forward2Me and they will provide you with a UK address with which to make your purchase.
Can I bring a friend with me to future tastings?
Yes.
Can I just buy your experimental New Make spirit in the shop?
No, all the bottles listed above are exclusive to the QCD.
Terms & Conditions
1. Fulfilment to a UK address only. We can hold orders for international customers at our warehouse for future collection.
2. Starter packs will be sent out within 2 weeks of orders placed.
3. We will contact you to check your t-shirt size before despatch.
4. Future bottles will be sent out within the calendar year of the membership stage.
5. The price includes P&P across the membership. UK postage only.
6. Please update us if you change address during the course of the membership. We will confirm your address each year before despatch.
6. Following despatch of the initial Starter Pack, the membership will be considered ‘redeemed’ and cannot be subsequently cancelled or refunded.