Glen Garioch Distillery Information
Glen Garioch (pronounced “Geery”, to rhyme with cheery) sits on the eastern edge of the Highland region, in the valley of the Garioch, 17 kilometres east of Aberdeen. It is located in the valley of the Garioch, surrounded by lush fields hosting ample amounts of grain and barley (earning it the nickname “The granary of Aberdeenshire”) as well as an abundance of springs, so it seemed natural to establish a distillery here. The area was once home to six distilleries; today, Glen Garioch is the one that remains. As an Eastern Highland distillery, it shares its corner of Aberdeenshire with neighbours such as Ardmore, GlenDronach and Fettercairn.
The Glengarioch (note how that was one word, rather than the modern spelling using a space between “Glen” and “Garioch”) distillery was established in the town of Oldmeldrum by John and Alexander Manson in 1797, making it one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. Originally the premises included a brewery and tannery, but they have long gone. In 1837, John Manson’s son (also named John Manson) joined the team. A year later John (the father) passed away. His son took over the business as well as control of the distillery.
Close to 50 years after the founding of the distillery, Glen Garioch was sold to JG Thomson & Co., a firm dealing in wine and spirits from Leith in 1884. 2 years later, they were joined by another gentleman from Leith; William Sanderson, who shortly before was appointed as managing director of the North British distillery in Edinburgh; at the time the largest distillery in the world. Sanderson had launched his own blend, V AT 69, in 1882, who was basing the blend around Glen Gariochs’ whisky.
Sanderson died in 1908 and was succeeded by his son, William Mark, who had been acting as a partner in the firm since 1882. Shortly after taking over the reins, he started exporting overseas to Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and Sweden, and from 1908 on also to the United States. Newly imposed taxes in the UK caused a drop of demand in Scottish whisky, but sales in the US allowed the distillery to remain open. The prohibition starting in 1920 caused a further dip in sales, and while many distillery owners were closing shop, William Mark Sanderson gambled that it would end sooner or later, and he purchased all shares in the Glen Garioch distillery. While his assumption was correct, Mark died in 1929 at the height of the great depression before seeing his bet pay off. His son Kenneth sold the distillery in 1933 to Booth’s Distilleries Ltd. The prohibition ended only 8 months later. Booth’s was taken over by the Distillers Company Limited (which would ultimately become Diageo), and later transferred to Scottish Malt Distillers(SMD) in 1943.
War broke out in 1939, and while this initially meant a drop in production, in 1943/1944 the distillery was forced to shut down altogether. After the war production resumed, but due to grain being rationed, it took until the 1960s for production to climb back to pre-war levels. Water shortage caused it to be shut again in 1968, and SMD sold the distillery to Stanley P Morrisson (a whisky broker, as well as the owner of the Bowmore distillery) in 1970. Under his guidance, production resumed, and an alternative water source was discovered on a nearby farm, ensuring production could be increased ten-fold. The source could not be seen or heard, earning it the nickname “The Silent Spring”.
In 1972, a third still was added, followed by a fourth one in 1973, when the majority of the distillery was rebuilt. In the same year, Glen Garioch was released as a single malt for the first time. When fuel costs increased sharply during the 1970s, an innovative waste-heat recovery system was installed, which, besides heating part of the distillery, also provided heat for large greenhouses added in 1977. The distillery soon after not only was known for its whisky, but also for its vegetables grown in these greenhouses. In 1984, Morrison Bowmore Distillers Ltd was taken over by the Japanese company Suntory.
Suntory closed Glen Garioch in October 2005 and subsequently attempted to sell it. This failed, leading Suntory to reopen the distillery two years later. Currently, only 1 wash still remains, leading the Glen Garioch only actively using their biggest spirit still.
Rachel Barrie served as Master Blender for the group encompassing Glen Garioch from 2011 until 2017, when she left to join BenRiach. Ron Welsh succeeded her that year and continues to oversee Glen Garioch today, alongside Bowmore, Auchentoshan, Laphroaig and Ardmore, as Suntory Global Spirits’ Master Blender.
In 2020, Beam Suntory began a six million pound restoration and upgrade project at Glen Garioch, reinstating traditional production methods while reducing the distillery’s carbon footprint. The project reintroduced floor malting on site and installed direct-fired heating to the wash still, a method used by a handful of Scottish distilleries. Work was completed in stages through 2021, with new make spirit from the upgraded stills produced later that year.
On 5 October 2021, HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay (now King Charles III), visited the distillery during the restoration project, tasting new make spirit from the newly direct-fired still alongside a 1978 vintage and signing a commemorative cask to be sold for charity once matured.
Today, Glen Garioch runs a single wash still. Of its two spirit stills, the 12,000-litre vessel is in regular use, with the 11,000-litre kept in reserve.
Glen Garioch Whiskies
Glen Garioch’s core range is matured in American Oak ex-Bourbon and European Oak ex-Sherry casks, bottled at 48% and non-chill filtered:
- 1797 Founders Reserve (Non-Age Statement)
- 12 Years Old
Vintage Releases, almost all bottled at cask strength from individually selected casks:
- Vintage 1978 – matured in bourbon casks, bottled 2009 at 57.8% ABV
- Vintage 1986 – matured in North American oak, bottled 2011 at 54.6% ABV
- Vintage 1990 – matured in bourbon and sherry casks, bottled 2009 at 54.6% ABV
- Vintage 1991 – matured in North American oak, bottled 2010 at 54.7% ABV
- Vintage 1994 – matured in North American oak, bottled 2011 at 53.9% ABV
- Vintage 1995 – matured in first-fill bourbon casks, bottled 2012 at 55.3% ABV
- Vintage 1997 – matured in second-fill bourbon casks, bottled 2012 at 56.7% ABV
- Vintage 1999 – matured in Oloroso Sherry casks, bottled 2013 at 56.3% ABV
- 1998 Wine Cask Matured – wine cask matured, bottled 2014 at 48% ABV, limited to 6,000 bottles
- Virgin Oak – matured fully in virgin American oak, bottled 2013 at 48% ABV (not cask strength)
The Renaissance series:
- 15 Years Old, Renaissance Chapter 1 – distilled 1997, bottled July 2014 at 51.9% ABV, 12,000 bottles
- 16 Years Old, Renaissance Chapter 2 – bottled around 2016 at 51.4% ABV
- 17 Years Old, Renaissance Chapter 3 – bottled around 2017-2018, described at release as the penultimate chapter
- 18 Years Old, Renaissance Chapter 4 – the fourth and final chapter, bottled around 2019 at 50.2% ABV
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Glen Garioch |
| Region | Highland |
| Country | Scotland |
| Logo |  |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1797 |
| Water source | The Silent Spring of Coutens Farm |
| Malting floor | Yes |
| Owned by | Suntory Global Spirits |
| Address |
Glen Garioch Distillery, |
| Visitor centre | Yes |
| Website | https://www.glengarioch.com/ |
| n/a | |
| https://www.facebook.com/glengarioch | |
| https://www.instagram.com/glengarioch/ | |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 4.4 tonnes | 1 Stainless steel, full lauter |
| Washback | 22,500 litres | 8 (Stainless steel) |
| Wash still | 25,000 litres | 1 |
| Spirit Still | 1 * 11,000, 1 * 12,000 litres | 2 (only the bigger one actively used) |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 1,000,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Glen Garioch is pronounced “Geery”, rhyming with “cheery”. It’s the most easterly distillery in Scotland, sitting on the edge of the Highland region about 17 kilometres east of Aberdeen, in the valley of the Garioch near Oldmeldrum. The area’s lush grain and barley fields earned it the nickname “The granary of Aberdeenshire”, and once supported six distilleries, though only Glen Garioch survives today.
Glen Garioch was founded in the town of Oldmeldrum in 1797 by John and Alexander Manson, making it one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. It was originally spelled Glengarioch, as one word, and its premises once also included a brewery and tannery, long since gone.
Glen Garioch was sold to JG Thomson & Co. of Leith in 1884. Two years later, William Sanderson joined the firm, shortly after being appointed managing director of the North British distillery in Edinburgh, then the largest distillery in the world. Sanderson had launched his own blend, VAT 69, in 1882, basing it around Glen Garioch’s whisky.
William Sanderson’s son, William Mark Sanderson, took over in 1908 and began exporting to Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden and, from 1908, the United States. When Prohibition hit US sales in 1920 and many distillery owners closed shop, Mark gambled that Prohibition would eventually end and bought all remaining shares in Glen Garioch. He was right, but died in 1929 before seeing the bet pay off. His son Kenneth sold the distillery to Booth’s Distilleries Ltd in 1933, just eight months before Prohibition ended.
A water shortage forced Glen Garioch to close in 1968. Scottish Malt Distillers sold the distillery in 1970 to Stanley P. Morrison, a whisky broker who also owned Bowmore. Under his guidance, production resumed after an alternative water source was discovered on a nearby farm, one that could not be seen or heard flowing, earning it the nickname “The Silent Spring”.
When fuel costs rose sharply in the 1970s, Glen Garioch installed an innovative waste-heat recovery system that helped heat part of the distillery and, from 1977, large greenhouses built on site. The distillery became known not only for its whisky but also for the vegetables grown in those greenhouses.
Yes. Glen Garioch closed in October 2005 and reopened two years later, in 2007. A further restoration project, backed by six million pounds from Beam Suntory, ran from 2020 to 2021, reinstating floor malting and adding direct-fired heating to the wash still.
The core range is matured in American Oak ex-Bourbon and European Oak ex-Sherry casks, bottled at 48%, and consists of the 1797 Founders Reserve and a 12 Year Old. A wide range of cask-strength vintage releases has also been bottled over the years, drawn from casks distilled between 1978 and 1999, alongside a non-cask-strength Virgin Oak release and a limited 1998 Wine Cask matured expression.
Yes, Glen Garioch has a visitor centre.
Yes. On 5 October 2021, HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay (now King Charles III), visited the distillery during its restoration project, tasting new make spirit from the newly direct-fired still and signing a commemorative cask for charity.