Glen Elgin distillery information
The Glen Elgin distillery was built between 1898 and 1900 in Elgin. It was a result of an undertaking by a partnership of William Simpson (formerly manager at Glenfarclas) and James Carle (an agent of the Scotland Bank). While it was being constructed, the Pattison crash shook up the whisky world. This in turn led to a great amount of distilleries having to close or cut production. Ironically, distillery architect Charles Doig had predicted that Glen Elgin would be the last distillery to be built in the Speyside region for the next 50 years. He turned out to be right, as the next distillery would be Tullibardine in 1949. Due to the crisis, the original plan for was abandoned, and the distillery ended up smaller than originally intended. Further setbacks suffered by the founders was the water source. They had hoped it would yield high quality water turned out not to be reliable after all. To make things worse, they also counted on being able to obtain access to the railway, but the permission for extending the railway to the distillery was denied by the Board of Trade.New owners
Within 6 months after starting production on May 1st 1900, the distillery closed and was subsequently sold to Glen Elgin-Glenlivet Distillery Co. Ltd. for 4,000 GBP in 1901. It was quickly sold on again in 1907 to a wine and spirit company from Glasgow; John J. Blanche & Company. Blanche died in 1929, leading to the distillery to be sold to Scottish Malt Distillers (SMD), who licensed the distillery to White Horse Distillers (Glen Elgin had been a key component of their White Horse Blends for years). In 1950 the distillery was plugged in to the electricity grid, having relied on Paraffin lamps and a steam engine until then. In 1964, the distillery underwent an extensive reconstruction, during which the number of stills was increased from two to six. In the same year, the floor maltings were closed. In 1970, the stills were converted to use steam heating. Between 1992 and 1995, the stills were replaced, and the distillery once again refurbished. In 2000, the old traditional rake-and-plough mash tun was replaced with a new Full-Lauter version. The distillery is currently owned by Diageo (since 2004), who are the successor of United Distillers & Vintners (who obtained the distillery in 1999, following a merger). Glen Elgin was added to Diageo’s Classic Malts in 2005, together with Caol Ila, Cardhu, Clynelish, Dufftown, Knockando and Royal Lochagnar.Glen Elgin Whiskies
Glen Elgin is highly sought after by blenders, and most of the whisky produced will find its way into blends; mainly White Horse. There have been a few official releases as well:- 16 Years Old (released in 1991)
- Manager’s Choice (released in 1998)
- Flora and Fauna (released in 2001)
- 12 Years Old, Hidden Malt (released in 2002)
- Special Edition; 32 Years Old (released ion 2003)
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Glen Elgin |
| Region | Speyside |
| Country | Scotland |
| Logo |  |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1898 |
| Water source | Springs near Millbuies Loch |
| Malting floor | No |
| Owned by | Diageo |
| Address | Glen Elgin Distillery Elgin Morayshire IV30 8SL United Kingdom +44 (0) 1343 862100 |
| Visitor centre | No |
| Website | http://www.malts.com/index.php/Our-Whiskies/Glen-Elgin/Introduction |
| ? | |
| Community | Friends of Classic Malts |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 8.2 tonnes | 11 (Full lauter) |
| Washback | 40,600 litres | 6 (Larch) |
| Wash still | 6,800 litres | 3 |
| Spirit Still | 8,100 litres | 3 |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 1,800,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Glen Elgin was built between 1898 and 1900 in Elgin, a partnership between William Simpson, formerly manager at Glenfarclas, and James Carle, an agent of the Bank of Scotland.
While Glen Elgin was being built, the Pattison crash shook the whisky world, forcing many distilleries to close or cut production. Because of the crisis, Glen Elgin’s original plans were scaled back, and it ended up smaller than intended. The founders also discovered their hoped-for water source wasn’t reliable after all, and the Board of Trade denied permission to extend the railway to the distillery.
Yes. Distillery architect Charles Doig predicted that Glen Elgin would be the last distillery built in the Speyside region for the next 50 years. He was right: the next new distillery in the region was Tullibardine, not built until 1949.
Glen Elgin started production on 1 May 1900, but closed within six months and was sold to Glen Elgin-Glenlivet Distillery Co. Ltd for 4,000 GBP in 1901. It was sold again in 1907 to Glasgow wine and spirit company John J. Blanche & Company. When Blanche died in 1929, the distillery passed to Scottish Malt Distillers (SMD), who licensed it to White Horse Distillers, whose blends Glen Elgin had long been a key component of.
Glen Elgin didn’t connect to the electricity grid until 1950, having relied on paraffin lamps and a steam engine until then. In 1964, an extensive reconstruction increased the number of stills from two to six and closed the floor maltings. The stills converted to steam heating in 1970, were replaced between 1992 and 1995 during a further refurbishment, and the traditional rake-and-plough mash tun was replaced with a Full-Lauter version in 2000.
United Distillers & Vintners obtained Glen Elgin in 1999 following a merger, and Diageo, UDV’s successor, has owned the distillery since 2004. Glen Elgin was added to Diageo’s Classic Malts in 2005, alongside Caol Ila, Cardhu, Clynelish, Dufftown, Knockando and Royal Lochnagar.
Glen Elgin is highly sought after by blenders, and most of its whisky goes into blends, mainly White Horse. Official single malt releases have included a 16 Year Old in 1991, a Manager’s Choice in 1998, a Flora and Fauna in 2001, a 12 Year Old Hidden Malt in 2002, and a 32 Year Old Special Edition in 2003.
No, Glen Elgin does not have a visitor centre.