Strathmill Distillery

Strathmill was founded in 1891 in a converted mill on the banks of the River Isla in the town of Keith and started production the following year. For the three years of its life this Speyside distillery was known as Glenisla-Glenlivet. This changed when it was bought by gin company W & A Gilbey in 1895 for £9,500.

The newly renamed Strathmill operated with little change for the next century, providing spirits for blends. In 1962 W & Gilby merged with United Wine Traders to form International Distillers and Vintners. The number of stills was increased from two to four in 1968, and that time also saw the installation of purifiers on the spirit stills.

Ownership changed rapidly in the next three decades. Watney Mann bought IDV in 1972, and were themselves promptly taken over by Grand Metropolitan shortly after. This leads to the current owner Diageo, formed in the merger of Grand Metropolitan and Guinness in 1997.

The distillery is equipped with 9.1 ton mash tun, six stainless steel washbacks, and two pairs of stills. The two spirit stills are outfitted with purifiers between the lyne arm and the condenser. This sends heavier vapours back to the body of the still, and results in a spirit with a lighter, slightly oily character. The distillery has an annual production capacity of 2.6 million litres.

The first official distillery bottling was the 12 year old in the Flora & Fauna range, which first came out in 2001. This is the only widely available expression. The 12 year old has a fresh nose with aromas of nuts and grass. Smooth on the palate, with notes of spice, vanilla and nuts before a dry and peppery finish.

In 2014 a limited older bottling came out, a 25 year old in the Special Releases range. This retains the light Strathmill character, but has richer notes of sweetness and cereal. Independent bottlings are also available from companies such as Gordon & McPhail, that Boutique-y Whisky Company, and Signatory.