Glayva’s origins are bathed in bold experimentation.

Our story begins in Leith, Edinburgh. The year is 1947, and Ronald Morrison is a wine and whisky merchant busily concocting a tempting new liqueur for his loyal customers. His aim? To produce a tantalisingly unfamiliar and richly delicious spirit, the like of which had never been tasted before.

His starting point, of course, was whisky. As a well-established merchant he had both the expertise and connections to obtain the very specific malts he had in mind.

Surrounded by the warehouses of other merchants, it was from his neighbours that he obtained his special ingredients, many of which were considered exotic at the time. Combining Mediterranean tangerines, honey, cinnamon and rare spices from far-flung lands, he finally landed on what he determined to be the perfect blend.

The first to be offered a taste of Glayva was Ronald’s warehouseman, Hector. “Glè mhath”, he proclaimed in Gaelic, translating as “Very good”. Inspired, Morrison accepted Hector’s verdict as the name for his new nectar, and since that day the recipe has been altered not a jot.

Over the years, Glayva has been awarded a record 15 times at the International Wine and Spirit Competition, making it simply the most glorious liqueur in the universe.