Glengoyne distillery information
Founded by George Connell in 1833 using the name of Burnfoot Distillery, the Glengoyne distillery is located at Dumgoyne, a short distance out of Glasgow, and close to the famous Loch Lomond. While it’s warehouses are technically located in the Scottish Lowlands, the distillation itself happens on the Highland side of the Highland Line (the division between the Lowlands and the Highlands), thus making Glengoyne a Highland whisky. In the 19th century, the area was riddled with illicit stills as the rolling hills and lush forests provided the moonshiners who were unable to pay the steep taxes on spirit production with excellent cover against the law.
In 1876, the Lang Brothers, blenders from Glasgow purchased the distillery, from then-owners John McLelland, who himself had purchased the distillery in 1851. The Lang Brothers intended to rename the distillery to Glengoyne, but due to a clerical error, it was recorded as Glen Guin. In 1908, the distillery officially switched to the name Glengoyne (taking the name from “Glen guin”, or “Glen of the wild geese”). In 1910, Glengoyne closed its floor maltings, switching entirely to bought-in malt.
The Lang Brothers remained in control of the distillery until they were taken over by the Robertson & Baxter group (who later would become part of the Edrington group, owners of The Macallan and partial owners of Highland Park) in 1965. The change in ownership promptly was followed by a rebuild n 1966, during which an additional sprit still was installed. At the same time, heating for the stills was switched to steam. In 1984, the Lang Brothers became suppliers of whisky to the then Queen Mother.
In April 2003, Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd acquired Glengoyne Distillery, and the Lang blended whiskies from the Edrington Group. The Royal Warrant followed with it, and has been featured on all Glengoyne products. Ian Macleod Distilleries actually used to be in the blending and bottling industry, so the acquisition of Glengoyne actually was the first real experience with distillation they would get. Keeping that in mind, the quick rate at which they managed to increase production at the distillery is all the more surprising (and impressive). At the same time, the quality of the product increased substantially.
Since the 2003 acquisition, four generations of the Russell family, Peter, Leonard, Tom and family, have served as custodians of Glengoyne under Ian Macleod’s ownership, with Tom Russell now head of international business development at the distillery. Their connection is marked by the Russell Family Cask Trilogy, a limited series of single casks selected by the family itself; the second release, a 38 Year Old matured in a single first-fill Sherry oak butt, was limited to 241 bottles.
Glengoyne whiskies
Glengoyne prides itself on taking things slow, particularly the distillation process. The spirit isn’t distilled, but rather “nursed” through the stills, in order to ensure a light and sweet product. No peat is used in the distillation process nor kilning (which is done using hot air). Alongside its traditional sherry cask maturation, Glengoyne also releases a White Oak range, matured fully in American ex-bourbon and virgin oak casks for a lighter, golden-hued style, the first release under its ongoing Oak Masters’ Series.
Beyond whisky-making, Glengoyne runs two conservation partnerships tied to its setting at the foot of the Campsie Fells: a beekeeping initiative with PlanBee, which introduced fifteen thousand Carniolan honey bees to hives at the distillery, and a wetland conservation partnership with WWT Caerlaverock.
The core range consists of:
- 10 Year Old
- 12 Year Old; matured in Sherry casks
- Cask Strength; bottled at 58.7% ABV
- 15 Year Old; matured in Sherry casks
- 18 Year Old; mostly matured in first-fill Sherry casks
- White Oak; matured in American ex-bourbon and virgin oak casks, part of the Oak Masters’ Series
- 21 Year Old; matured in Sherry casks
- 25 Year Old
There’s also a limited range available:
- 35 Year Old; distilled in the 1970s, limited to 500 bottles
- White Oak 24 Year Old; limited edition, matured in American ex-bourbon and virgin oak casks
- Teapot Dram Batch No. 011; cask-strength (ABV not yet confirmed, flagging rather than guessing, the earlier “Teapot Dram 3” bottling was 59.4% ABV)
- Mizunara Oak; finished in rare Japanese Mizunara oak casks
- Wetlands Single Cask; single cask release in aid of charity, tied to the WWT Caerlaverock partnership
- Russell Family Cask, Chapter Two; 38 Year Old, matured in a single first-fill American Sherry oak butt, limited to 241 bottles
- Glengoyne Signature; launched exclusively at Tesco Scotland
Finally, there’s the Travel Retail Exclusives:
- 15 Years Old Distiller’s Gold; matured in Sherry casks.
- 25 Years Old The First Till; matured in first-fill Sherry casks
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Glengoyne |
| Region | Highland |
| Country | Scotland |
| Logo |  |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1833 |
| Water source | Glengoyne Burn |
| Malting floor | No |
| Owned by | Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd |
| Address |
Glengoyne Distillery |
| Visitor centre | Yes |
| Website | https://www.glengoyne.com/ |
| https://www.facebook.com/GlengoyneSingleMalt | |
| https://www.instagram.com/glengoyne/ | |
| YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/user/glengoynedistillery |
| Community | The Glengoyne Family |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 3.72 tonnes | 1 |
| Washback | 19,000 litres | 6 (Oregon pine) |
| Wash still | 16,520 litres | 1 |
| Spirit Still | 5,000 litres | 2 |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 1,100,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Glengoyne’s warehouses technically sit in the Scottish Lowlands, but the distillation itself happens on the Highland side of the Highland Line, the boundary dividing the two regions. That makes Glengoyne a Highland whisky, even though the distillery is only a short distance from Glasgow, near Loch Lomond.
Glengoyne was founded in 1833 by George Connell under the name Burnfoot Distillery. In the 19th century, the surrounding hills and forests were riddled with illicit stills, giving moonshiners good cover from the law and steep spirit taxes.
The Lang Brothers, blenders from Glasgow, bought the distillery in 1876 and intended to rename it Glengoyne, but a clerical error saw it recorded as Glen Guin instead. The name was officially corrected to Glengoyne in 1908, taken from “Glen guin”, meaning “Glen of the wild geese”. In 1910, Glengoyne closed its floor maltings, switching entirely to bought-in malt.
The Lang Brothers were taken over by the Robertson & Baxter group in 1965, later part of the Edrington Group, owners of The Macallan and partial owners of Highland Park. Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd acquired Glengoyne in April 2003 along with the Lang blended whiskies. It was the company’s first real experience with distillation, having previously worked mainly in blending and bottling, yet production and quality both increased quickly under their ownership.
Yes. The Lang Brothers became suppliers of whisky to the then Queen Mother in 1984, and the Royal Warrant has featured on Glengoyne products ever since.
Glengoyne prides itself on taking things slow. The spirit isn’t simply distilled but “nursed” through the stills to produce a light, sweet character. No peat is used at any stage, and kilning is done using hot air alone.
The core range includes a 10 Year Old, a 12 Year Old matured in Sherry casks, a Cask Strength bottling at 58.7% ABV, a 15 Year Old and 21 Year Old both matured in Sherry casks, an 18 Year Old matured mostly in first-fill Sherry casks, and a 25 Year Old. A limited range has also included a 35 Year Old distilled in the 1970s and capped at 500 bottles, plus cask-strength Teapot Dram releases.
Yes, Glengoyne has a visitor centre.