Cragganmore Distillery

The level of thought that went into choosing the site for Cragganmore distillery is a testament to the expertise its founder, John Smith, had in the whisky business. By the time he founded Cragganmore in 1869, Smith had already been a manager at multiple distilleries including Glenlivet and Macallan and held the lease on Glenfarcas. He built Cragganmore at the confluence of several important factors in the Speyside region .

This was only made possible with money loaned from his landlord George Macpherson Grant. Crucially, he built right next to the Strathspey Railway at Ballindoch. This made it easy for supplies to come in and for whisky to flow out. It was also well placed to draw the mineral rich water of the Craggan Burn, flowing down from the distillery’s namesake mountain.

The history of Cragganmore’s ownership can be dived into two main acts. The Smith family retained control of the distillery until 1923. John’s brother George ran it for a number of years after his death in 1886. But this was just until John’s son Gordon Smith was old enough to take the reins in 1893 until his death 19 years later.

Gordon’s widow Mary Jane was the last Smith owner to run the distillery in the early 20th century. During that time production halted for a year in 1917 due to WWI. When she sold Cragganmore in 1923 it was briefly owned by a partnership of Mackie & Co and George Macpherson-Grant, the same man who helped get it off the ground.

Distillers Company Limited bought the share of Mackie & Co, renamed as White Horse Distillers, in 1927. DCL then acquired full ownership of Cragganmore in 1965. They would eventually become part of Diageo, which retains ownership today.

Cragganmore is equipped with four pot stills with an unusual flat-topped design. The stills’ shape, along with the worm tubs used for cooling, are credited with the incredible complexity Cragganmore single malts are known for. The distillery also has six Oregon Pine washbacks and a 6.8 ton mash tun, giving it a production capacity of 2.2 million litres. Much of what is made at Cragganmore is destined for blends, but multiple single malt releases are also available.

There are only two whiskies making up the core offerings from Cragganmore. The 12 year old single malt was first released in 1998. This complex whisky has mixed aromas of toffee and different floral elements. Malty in the mouth and with notes of citrus fruit, it has a dry finish.

Joining it is the Distillers Edition, finished in port casks to give it an extra level of sweetness. 2019 also saw a 12 year old bottling in the Special Releases series. Matured in refill American Oak casks, this is a smokier expression than most spirits produced at Cragganmore.