History
A short history of Glasgow's best known malt whisky pub.
The building in Hope Street, Glasgow which currently houses the 'Pot Still' dates back to 1835 when it was first built. The first recorded tenant was John Hill, a wine & spirit merchant who operated from the premises in 1867. Links with the wine and spirit industry were maintained when the premises transferred in 1870 to William McCall who ran a public house from the building.
In 1898
the premises where left to the second of a long lists McCalls who
were to run the business until 1981. The McCall family appeared
to have been superb raconteurs, with stories of incidents which
happened in the pub passed down from one to the next. Customers
over the decades have been amazed at the stories of Tam the coalman
who at the turn of the century, parked his horse and cart outside
the pub every day after work, then joined his fellow drinkers for
his ritual whiskies. Tam apparently did this for almost sixty
years, long after he stopped working and lived to the ripe old age
of 83!
In 1981 the premises were taken over by John Waterson, a well know Glasgow publican who made significant alterations to the premises and introduced the “Pot Still” famous range of over 300 malt whiskies. Indeed the range was so famous that in 1984 a group of Japanese business men working in London flew up to Glasgow for the day to try a particular malt unavailable anywhere else, a story the McCalls would have been proud of!
Today the Pot Still offers quality casks ales and traditional home cooking in a unique environment that even Tam the coalman would enjoy.
The Pot Still, 154 Hope Street, Glasgow G2 2TH Telephone 0141 333 0980
Proprietor: Ken Storrie e mail: ken@thepotstill.co.uk