Craigellachie distillery information
The Craigellachie distillery was founded in 1891, in the village of the same name on the banks of the River Spey in the heart of the Speyside whisky region. The founders were a consortium of blenders and merchants led by Alexander Edward (owner of the Benrinnes and Aultmore distilleries) and Peter Mackie (who obtained ownership of the Lagavulin distillery through an inheritance two years earlier) operating under the name Craigellachie Distillery Co Ltd. The name Craigellachie is Gaelic for “Rocky hill”, in reference to a nearby cliff towering over the Spey. The distillery was designed by renowned distillery architect Charles Doig. It was incorporated as a limited company in 1893. It took until 1898, though, before production commenced. In 1896 the distillery was reconstructed as Craigellachie-Glenlivet Distillery Ltd.
In 1916, Craigellachie-Glenlivet Ltd was bought by Mackie & Co. Distillers Ltd, owned by Peter Mackie, and blenders of The White Horse whisky. Following Peter Mackie’s death in 1924, Mackie & Co.Distillers changed name to White Horse Distilleries, and sold the company to Distillers Company Ltd (DCL) in 1927, who transferred ownership of the distillery to Scottish Malt Distillers Ltd. in 1930.
Between 1964 and 1965, the distillery was rebuilt, and the amount of stills was doubled from two to four. At the same time, the stills were converted from direct coal firing to steam heated. In 1986 DCL merged with Arthur Bell & Sons to form United Distillers; owned by Guiness, which itself merged with Grand Metropolitan in 1997 to form Diageo. Diageo sold off Cragellachie (and Aberfeldy) to John Dewar & Sons Ltd., who were owned by Bacardi.
Craigellachie Whiskies
The Cragellachie is a bit of a mixed bag, using computer-controlled production processes, and old-fashioned worm tubs to condense the distilled spirit. The whisky is matured off-site.
Most of the whisky produced at Craigellachie is used in Dewar’s blends. However, there have been a few official releases, and every so often an independent bottle will pop up. In 2014, some official bottles were released.
- 13 Year Old
- 14 Year Old Flora and Fauna (released around the year 2000)
- 14 Year Old (the follow-up to the Flora and Fauna. First released in 2004).
- 17 Year Old
- 19 Year Old (Travel Retail exclusive)
- 23 Year Old (Limited edition)
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Craigellachie |
| Region | Speyside |
| Country | Scotland |
| Logo | |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1891 |
| Water source | Local spring on Conval Hill |
| Malting floor | No |
| Owned by | John Dewar & Sons Ltd |
| Address |
Craigellachie Distillery +44 (0) 1340 872971 |
| Visitor centre | No |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 10 tonnes | 1 (Steinecker, Full Lauter) |
| Washback | 60,000 litres | 8 (Larch) |
| Wash still | 22,750 litres | 2 |
| Spirit Still | 22,750 litres | 2 |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 3,600,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Craigellachie is pronounced kray-GELL-uh-kee, with the “ch” said as in “loch” rather than “lock.” The name is Gaelic for “rocky hill,” referring to the craggy hill above the Speyside village the distillery is named after.
Craigellachie is Gaelic for “Rocky hill”, a reference to a nearby cliff towering over the River Spey. The distillery was founded in 1891 in the village of the same name, in the heart of the Speyside whisky region.
Craigellachie was founded by a consortium of blenders and merchants led by Alexander Edward, owner of the Benrinnes and Aultmore distilleries, and Peter Mackie, who had obtained ownership of the Lagavulin distillery through an inheritance two years earlier. It operated under the name Craigellachie Distillery Co Ltd, and was designed by architect Charles Doig.
The distillery was incorporated as a limited company in 1893, but production didn’t actually commence until 1898. In 1896, it was reconstructed as Craigellachie-Glenlivet Distillery Ltd.
Craigellachie-Glenlivet Ltd was bought in 1916 by Mackie & Co. Distillers Ltd, Peter Mackie’s company and blenders of White Horse whisky. After Mackie’s death in 1924, the company was renamed White Horse Distilleries and sold to Distillers Company Ltd (DCL) in 1927, which transferred the distillery to Scottish Malt Distillers Ltd in 1930. DCL merged with Arthur Bell & Sons in 1986 to form United Distillers, owned by Guinness, which itself merged with Grand Metropolitan in 1997 to form Diageo.
Diageo sold off Craigellachie, along with Aberfeldy, to John Dewar & Sons Ltd, which is owned by Bacardi and remains the distillery’s owner today.
Craigellachie uses computer-controlled production processes alongside old-fashioned worm tubs to condense its distilled spirit. The whisky is matured off-site rather than in warehouses at the distillery itself.
Most of the whisky produced at Craigellachie goes into Dewar’s blends. Official single malt releases do exist, though, including a 13 Year Old, a 14 Year Old Flora and Fauna released around 2000, a 14 Year Old follow-up first released in 2004, a 17 Year Old, a travel-retail-exclusive 19 Year Old, and a limited-edition 23 Year Old, with further official bottles released in 2014.
No, Craigellachie does not have a visitor centre.