Glen Grant Distillery Information
The Glen Grant distillery was founded in 1840 by brothers John and James Grant in the town of Rothers in the Speyside region of Scotland. The location near the sea and the close-by port of Garmouth, having the river Spey running in the south , as well as the distillery being in the midst of plains full of Barley ensured all major whisky ingredients were readily available. Additionally, the brothers had experience with whisky distilling, as they used to do so illegally, and both at some point worked at the Aberlour distillery. However, they decided to go legit, and managed to obtain a license. Today, their legacy is one of the best selling Single Malt whiskies in the world.Major Grant
By 1872, both brothers has passed away. However, James Jr, nicknamed “The Major” had always shown a keen interest in the distillery, and it was him who inherited Glen Grant. The Major also had a keen interest in inventions, and was the first man in the Highlands to own a car. He ensured Glen Grant was the first distillery to switch to electric lighting in 1861, and he designed the tall, thin stills. He was also the mastermind behind the purifiers that give Glen Grant it’s distinctive fresh flavor. Another addition of the Major was creating romantic gardens, which nowadays attract almost as many visitors as the distillery. Major Grant was also responsible for the founding of “Glen Grant No 2”, aka Caperdonich (now closed) across the street of the distillery in 1894. It was joined to Glen Grants by means of a pipe; something the locals managed to put to good use to get their hands on some free (though illegally obtained) whisky. When Edinburgh based whisky brokers (and a major customer of Glen Grant No 2) Pattison Ltd. collapsed, that distillery was forced to close down. By the 1900s, Glen Grant was one of the very first whiskies available as a single malt.New owners
James Grant passed away in 1931. He was survived by three daughters, and management of the distillery passed to his grandson Douglas MacKessack, who in 1932, founded J. & J. Grant Ltd. The distillery was forced to close during World War 2, but reopened shortly after. In 1953, Glen Grant merged with George & J.G. Smith of The Glenlivet under the name of The Glenlivet & Glen Grant distilleries Ltd. In 1970, that company merges with Longmorn-Glenlivet Distilleries Ltd and Hill, Thomson & Co. Ltd (Blenders of Queen Anne whisky) into The Glenlivet Distillers Ltd. In 1973, the distillery added 2 more stills, bringing the total to 6. In 1977, Canadian Seagram Company Ltd purchased The Glenlivet Distillers Ltd. 4 more stills were added that year, bringing the total to 10, 4 of which were coal-fired, and 6 steam-heated. In 1995, all stills became steam-heated, and presumably in the same year, 2 stills were retired to get to the current amount of 8 stills. Subsequently, Seagram was taken over by Diageo and Pernod Ricard, with Glen Grant making its way into the Pernod Ricard owned Chivas Brothers in 1999. In 2006, Glen Grant was purchased by Campari, who continue to run it in the present day.Glen Grant Whiskies
Glen Grant releases different whiskies; a large amount of young (5 years old) whisky proves to be extremely popular in southern Europe (particularly Spain and Italy, which is why it likely attracted attention of Camapri to begin with), where it’s mixed with Cola. Its single malt, though, is great value for money. Apart from these, Gordon and MacPhail have a long history of releasing independent bottles of older Glen Grant. Glen Grant’s core range consists of:- The Major’s Reserve; 10 years old, matured in Bourbon casks
- 10 Years; matured in Bourbon casks
- 16 Years; matured in Bourbon casks
- 50 Year old; matured in a single Sherry butt
- 1992 Cellar Reserve
- V Decades
- 25 Years; matured in Sherry casks. Limited to 800 bottles
- Distillery Edition
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Glen Grant |
| Region | Speyside |
| Country | Scotland |
| Logo |  |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1840 |
| Water source | The Glen Grant burn |
| Malting floor | No |
| Owned by | Gruppo Campari |
| Address | Glen Grant Elgin Rd Rothes Charlestown of Aberlour Banffshire AB38 7BS United Kingdom +44 (0) 1340 832118 |
| Visitor centre | Yes |
| Website | http://www.glengrant.com |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 12.2 tonnes tonnes | 1 (Stainless Steel, Semi-Lauter) |
| Washback | washback_c litres | 10 (Oregon pine) |
| Wash still | 15,000 litres | 4 |
| Spirit Still | 10,000 litres | 4 |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 5,900,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Glen Grant was founded in 1840 by brothers John and James Grant in Rothes, in the Speyside region. The site sat near the sea and the nearby port of Garmouth, with the River Spey running to the south and surrounding plains full of barley, putting every major whisky ingredient within easy reach. The brothers already had illegal distilling experience, having both worked at Aberlour at some point, before deciding to go legitimate and obtaining a license.
By 1872, both founding brothers had died, and management passed to James Jr, nicknamed “The Major”, who had always shown a keen interest in the distillery. An inventor at heart and the first man in the Highlands to own a car, he made Glen Grant the first distillery to switch to electric lighting, in 1861, designed its tall, thin stills, and developed the purifiers that give Glen Grant its distinctive fresh flavour. He also created the distillery’s romantic gardens, which today draw almost as many visitors as the whisky itself.
The Major also founded “Glen Grant No 2”, better known as Caperdonich, across the street from Glen Grant in 1894, now closed. The two sites were connected by a pipe, which locals reportedly found ways to tap for free, if illegally obtained, whisky. When Edinburgh whisky brokers Pattison Ltd, a major customer of Glen Grant No 2, collapsed, Caperdonich was forced to close.
James Grant died in 1931, and management passed to his grandson Douglas MacKessack, who founded J. & J. Grant Ltd in 1932. After closing during the Second World War and reopening shortly after, Glen Grant merged in 1953 with George & J.G. Smith of The Glenlivet to form The Glenlivet & Glen Grant Distilleries Ltd. In 1970, that company merged with Longmorn-Glenlivet Distilleries Ltd and Hill, Thomson & Co Ltd, blenders of Queen Anne whisky, to form The Glenlivet Distillers Ltd.
Canadian Seagram Company Ltd bought The Glenlivet Distillers Ltd in 1977. After Seagram was taken over by Diageo and Pernod Ricard, Glen Grant became part of Pernod Ricard’s Chivas Brothers in 1999, before Campari purchased the distillery in 2006 and continues to run it today.
Two more stills were added in 1973, bringing the total to six. In 1977, four more were added, reaching ten, four coal-fired and six steam-heated. By 1995, all stills had converted to steam heating, and two were retired around the same time, bringing the total down to the current eight.
A large amount of young, five-year-old Glen Grant proves extremely popular in southern Europe, particularly Spain and Italy, where it’s commonly mixed with cola, likely one of the reasons it attracted Campari’s attention in the first place. Its single malt releases, meanwhile, are considered great value for money.
The core range includes The Major’s Reserve, a 10 Year Old matured in Bourbon casks, alongside separate 10 Year and 16 Year expressions also matured in Bourbon casks. Limited editions have included a 50 Year Old matured in a single Sherry butt, a 1992 Cellar Reserve, V Decades, a 25 Year Old matured in Sherry casks and limited to 800 bottles, and a Distillery Edition. Gordon and MacPhail have also long released independent bottlings of older Glen Grant.
Yes, Glen Grant has a visitor centre.