Glenturret distillery information
The earliest confirmed reference to distilling at this site dates to 1763, in a rental document belonging to Sir Patrick Murray of Ochtertyre that names a “Thurot Distillery.” Illicit distilling on the same site, known locally as “The Hosh,” may have begun even earlier, possibly as far back as 1717. The distillery took the name “The Hosh Distillery” by 1814 and received an official licence in 1818, when John Drummond was running it. Drummond continued distilling until he went bankrupt in 1842. John McCallum succeeded him in 1845, but he too ran into financial trouble by 1874. Thomas Stewart then bought the distillery and renamed it Glenturret in 1875; a separate, unrelated distillery nearby had used the Glenturret name previously, but had closed in the 1850s.
Stewart kept the distillery until 1903, when he sold it to Mitchell Brothers Ltd. The company closed the distillery in 1921 and went into liquidation in 1929, at which point the site was dismantled. In 1957, James Fairlie bought the site and began renovating it, largely with second-hand equipment, aiming to preserve traditional malt whisky distilling. Distillation resumed in 1959 and the distillery reopened to the public in 1960. Fairlie soon began offering guided tours, and welcomed the then Prime Minister, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, in 1964.
Rémy Cointreau bought the distillery from Fairlie in 1981 and expanded the visitor centre. Glenturret joined Highland Distilleries in 1993, later acquired by a partnership between the Edrington Group, owner of The Famous Grouse, The Macallan and Highland Park, and William Grant & Sons, owner of Glenfiddich and Balvenie. In 2002, Edrington built a new visitor centre at the site to promote the Famous Grouse blend, drawing several hundred thousand visitors a year.
In March 2019, Edrington sold Glenturret to a joint venture between luxury goods group Lalique and Swiss-American entrepreneur Hansjörg Wyss, ending its long association with the Famous Grouse brand. The new owners carried out a 1.4 million pound upgrade to the mash house and still house, completed in 2022, and opened the two Michelin starred Glenturret Lalique Restaurant on site. Today Glenturret operates as an independent Highland single malt distillery in the Southern Highlands, with an annual production capacity of around 500,000 litres of pure alcohol.
The distillery’s former cat, Towser, is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records for catching an estimated 28,899 mice during her time at Glenturret.
Glenturret whiskies
Core range:
- The Glenturret Triple Wood
- The Glenturret 12 Year Old
- The Glenturret 15 Year Old
Notable limited editions and collaborations:
- The Glenturret Deux Terrains 21 Year Old
- The Glenturret 25 Year Old (2025 Release)
- The Glenturret 35 Year Old (2023 Release)
- The Glenturret 50 Year Old
- Eight Decades by James Turrell
- The Still Life series (Spring, Summer, Winter), Lalique crystal decanter collaborations
- Provenance and Prowess, further Lalique crystal collaborations
- The Jaguar Collection (C-Type and D-Type), collaborations with Jaguar
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Glenturret |
| Region | Highland |
| Country | Scotland |
| Logo |  |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1763 |
| Water source | Loch Turret |
| Malting floor | No |
| Owned by | Lalique Group |
| Address |
Glenturret Distillery |
| Visitor centre | Yes |
| Website | https://www.theglenturret.com |
| https://www.twitter.com/DrinkGlenturret | |
| https://www.facebook.com/theglenturret | |
| https://www.instagram.com/theglenturretwhisky/ | |
| Community | The Glenturret Guild |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 1.95 tonnes | 1 (Stainless-steel, Semilauter) |
| Washback | 7,500 litres | 8 (Douglas fir) |
| Wash still | 12,600 litres | 1 |
| Spirit Still | 9,000 litres | 1 |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 500,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s disputed. The earliest confirmed reference to distilling at the site dates to 1763, in a rental document naming a ‘Thurot Distillery’; illicit distilling may have taken place there even earlier, possibly as far back as 1717. The site took the name ‘The Hosh Distillery’ by 1814 and received an official licence in 1818. Because all the equipment in use was removed when the distillery was dismantled in 1929, whether continuous operation on the same site supports an ‘oldest distillery’ claim is open to interpretation.
John Drummond ran the distillery from 1818 until he went bankrupt in 1842. John McCallum succeeded him in 1845, but he too ran into financial trouble by 1874. Thomas Stewart then bought the distillery and renamed it Glenturret in 1875; a separate, unrelated distillery nearby had used that name previously, but had closed in the 1850s.
Thomas Stewart kept the distillery until 1903, when he sold it to Mitchell Brothers Ltd, who closed it in 1921; the company went into liquidation in 1929, and the distillery was dismantled. In 1957, James Fairlie bought the site and began renovating it, largely with second-hand equipment, aiming to preserve traditional malt whisky distilling and grow appreciation for it. Distillation resumed in 1959, the distillery reopened in 1960, and Fairlie soon began offering guided tours, even hosting then-Prime Minister Sir Alec Douglas-Home in 1964.
Rémy Cointreau bought the distillery from Fairlie in 1981 and expanded the visitor centre. Glenturret joined Highland Distilleries in 1993, later acquired by a partnership between the Edrington Group, owner of The Famous Grouse, The Macallan and Highland Park, and William Grant & Sons, owner of Glenfiddich and Balvenie. In March 2019, Edrington sold Glenturret to a joint venture between luxury goods group Lalique and Swiss-American entrepreneur Hansjörg Wyss, who own the distillery today.
From 2002 until the change of ownership in 2019, Glenturret’s visitor centre traded as the Famous Grouse Experience, promoting Edrington’s blended whisky brand. Since the 2019 sale to Lalique and Hansjörg Wyss, the site has operated under the Glenturret name and is now also home to the two Michelin starred Glenturret Lalique Restaurant.
Yes. The distillery’s former cat, Towser, made it into the Guinness Book of Records for catching no fewer than 28,899 mice.
The current core range includes The Glenturret Triple Wood, 12 Year Old and 15 Year Old. Beyond the core range, Glenturret has released a number of limited editions and collaborations, including the Deux Terrains 21 Year Old, the 25 Year Old (2025 Release), the 35 Year Old (2023 Release), the 50 Year Old, Eight Decades by James Turrell, the Still Life series, Provenance and Prowess, and the Jaguar Collection created with Jaguar. Earlier bottlings from before the 2019 change of ownership, including 8 to 25 Year Old expressions and several single cask releases, are no longer part of the current range.
Yes. Glenturret has a visitor centre and is home to the two Michelin starred Glenturret Lalique Restaurant.