Glen Garioch

Glen Garioch Distillery is probably the first to be licensed in Scotland. Different dates are attributed to its establishment, but all precede a certain article in the Aberdeen Journal of December 1, 1785, which describes the first distillation in this distillery. Glen Garioch (pronounced glen gíri) is located near the village of Old Meldrum in the Aberdeenshire region. The distillery buildings stand huddled on a small promontory dotted with heather shrubs and grasses, surrounded by barley fields. It is said that one of the best barley in Scotland can be found right here.

After changing owners many times during the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Glen Garioch distillery was shut down in 1968. Two years later, the distillery was acquired by Stanley P Morrison. After extensive renovation, the operation was restored in 1973. The whiskey produced there was much more reminiscent of traditional single-species malt whiskeys from the Highlands, which was partly due to the malt floor in the distillery and partly due to a malt producer who learned the joys of peat whiskey on the island of Islay. At that time, malt whiskeys were very modern and the new powerful character of Glen Garioch distillery brought her wealth. Although malt floors were removed in 1979, their re-use has recently been the subject of lively discussions.

Today, the distillery is owned by the Japanese company Suntory, which acquired it in 1994 from Morrison Bowmore. Glen Garioch currently uses three-quarters of its capacity, representing an annual production of almost 700,000 liters of distillate, of which it sells about one-third annually. Most are designed for the Asian market. There are also a few homemade products, several bottles with exotic finishes and a handful of separate products.