Balmenach distillery information
The Balmenach distillery was founded under the name Balminoch in 1824 by James McGregor, at the foot of the Haughs of Cromdale in the heart of the Cairngorm National Park. The story goes that in 1823 McGregor was distilling whisky illicitly, and he got a visit from the local exciseman, who noticed a waterwheel, and inquired why it was there. Following excellent hospitality on McGregor’s behalf, who explained it was a peat shed, the exciseman left but not before encouraging McGregor to license his “peat shed”. Licensing was obtained the next year, and the distillery was thus officially founded.
In 1878, James McGregor passed away, and he was succeeded by his brother, John McGregor, who returned to Scotland to take over management of the distillery after living in New Zealand. In 1879, a big storm destroyed a nearby railway bridge over the River Tay. At the distillery, it caused a chimney to collapse, which in turn started a fire. In 1897, John McGregor and his son established Balmenach Glenlivet Distillery Ltd., and the distillery got connected to the Cromdale railway station. It’s likely that the same year, the distillery got an additional pair of stills.
In 1922, the distillery was sold by the McGregors to a consortium of blenders, consisting of MacDonald Green, Peter Dawson and James Watson. They operated under the name Peter Dawson Ltd. In 1925, the consortium became part of Scottish Malt Distillers Ltd (SMD), and in 1930, the distillery was transferred to SMD completely. Between 1941 and 1947, the distillery was closed, and its buildings were used to house troops during the war.
In 1962, 2 more stills were added, bringing the total to 6. In 1964, Balmenach was fitted with so-called Saladin box maltings.
In 1968, the mash house was renovated, and in 1971, the stills were converted to be heated by steam. In 1992, the distillery was transferred to United Malt & Grain Distillers Ltd, who released the first official 12 Year Old bottle. A year later, they decided to mothball Balmenach in May 1993.
In 1997, Inver House Distillers Ltd (who also owns Balblair, Knockdhu, Old Pulteney & Speyburn) took over, and the distillery was restarted a year later (the waiting was mostly caused due to regulations). In 2001, a 27 and a 28 Year Old were released, and in 2002, a 25 Year Old was released in a limited edition of 800 bottles to commemorate the Queen’s golden jubilee. However, since the takeover did apparently not include maturing casks in the warehouses, it’s likely that these releases were not by Inver House.
Balmenach Whiskies
Apart from the bottles mentioned above, since Inver House took over, no official bottles have been released. Every so often, though, an independent bottler might release a Balmenach. Besides whisky, the Balmenach distillery is also where Caorunn Gin is distilled.
It’s safe to assume that the majority of the produce from Balmenach is saved for blenders, though perhaps Inver House has a few aces up its sleeves.
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Balmenach |
| Region | Speyside |
| Country | Scotland |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1824 |
| Water source | Cromdale Burn |
| Malting floor | No |
| Owned by | Inver House Distillers |
| Address |
Balmenach distillery +44 (0) 1479 872569 |
| Visitor centre | No |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 8.25 tonnes | 1 (Stainless Steel, Semi-Lauter) |
| Washback | 38,000 litres | 6 (Douglas Fir) |
| Wash still | 16,200 litres | 3 |
| Spirit Still | 9,100 litres | 3 |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 2,000,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Balmenach was founded under the name Balminoch in 1824 by James McGregor at the foot of the Haughs of Cromdale, in the heart of the Cairngorm National Park. The story goes that McGregor had been distilling illicitly in 1823 when a local exciseman visited and noticed a waterwheel. McGregor explained it away as belonging to a peat shed, and after some excellent hospitality, the exciseman left, but not before suggesting McGregor license his “peat shed” properly. Balmenach was officially licensed the following year.
James McGregor died in 1878 and was succeeded by his brother John, who returned from New Zealand to take over management. In 1879, a storm that destroyed a nearby railway bridge over the River Tay also caused a chimney at the distillery to collapse, starting a fire. In 1897, John McGregor and his son established Balmenach Glenlivet Distillery Ltd, connected the site to the Cromdale railway station, and likely added an extra pair of stills that same year.
The McGregor family sold the distillery in 1922 to a consortium of blenders, MacDonald Green, Peter Dawson and James Watson, operating as Peter Dawson Ltd. The consortium became part of Scottish Malt Distillers Ltd (SMD) in 1925, with Balmenach fully transferred to SMD in 1930. The distillery closed between 1941 and 1947, when its buildings were used to house troops during the war.
Ownership passed to United Malt & Grain Distillers Ltd in 1992, who released the first official 12 Year Old bottle before mothballing the distillery in May 1993. Inver House Distillers Ltd, which also owns Balblair, Knockdhu, Old Pulteney and Speyburn, took over in 1997, though regulatory delays meant production didn’t restart until a year later.
A 27 and 28 Year Old were released in 2001, and a limited-edition 25 Year Old of 800 bottles followed in 2002 to mark the Queen’s golden jubilee. Since the 1997 takeover apparently didn’t include the maturing casks already in the warehouses, though, these releases were likely not bottled by Inver House itself. No official Inver House bottlings have followed, though independent bottlers occasionally release a Balmenach.
It’s safe to assume the majority of Balmenach’s output goes to blenders. Besides whisky, the distillery is also where Caorunn Gin is made.
No, Balmenach does not have a visitor centre.