Complexity is key to the flavor profile of a good single-malt whisky. Top notes, middle notes and low notes, and different combinations of minerals, spices, smoke and salt make each sip trigger new associations before you even reach the peaty finish. “ Glenrothan ,” the directorial debut of Scottish actor Brian Cox , is set around a distillery nestled in the Highlands that has long produced a much-admired single-malt dram to an original recipe. So it’s unfortunate that the film itself is more like a bottom-shelf blend: easily drinkable, highly forgettable, bland. Worse still, it won’t get you even mildly buzzed.

It is very quickly established, through shots of the pretty white distillery buildings and the wooded green hills made velvety by the soft Scottish sunshine, that we’re in a s

See Full Page