The sister distillery to Glenlossie, at one point the crews of distilleries would alternate between them, although to cope with the demand, Diageo now employs full-time teams to produce 3.2 million litres a year. Over 200,000 casks are stored on-site at any time.
Large amounts of money were invested into this distillery in 2013 in order to meet the demands for Diageo’s largest blended whiskies such as Bell’s and Johnnie Walker. In total over £9 million was spent on eight new washbacks, two new copper stills and a new mashtun and stillhouse.
Whisky collectors certainly sat up and took notice when it was released in Diageo’s extremely popular Flora and Fauna range.
Meanwhile for single malts the distillery has always been highly experimental in its releases. Of particular note was 1996’s Loch Dhu, which one critic termed ‘The Marmite of Whisky’ due to its divisive reputation and black colouration. While maligned by traditionalists this whisky would go on to achieve a legendary cult status among collectors due to its rarity.
Their other single malt releases have been met with acclaim, with some 2016 tasting notes likening the whisky to cherry cola syrup with a sweet bourbon finish.
