Glenfiddich Distillery

Glenfiddich distillery is practically unique, especially for a business of this size, in that it has always been a family affair. William Grant of Dufftown founded it in 1886 with his wife and nine kids next to the river Fiddich in Speyside. Unlike many distilleries cropping up at this time Grant, formerly the manager at Mortlach, built the distillery with his own money rather than finding a wealthy backer.

The distillery has stayed in the ownership of the Grant family ever since and stayed strong through many hardships. They survived the Pattison crash of 1898 when many other distilleries collapsed, and decided to ramp up production during Prohibition in the US. This left them in a stronger position than others of their peers when prohibition came to an end.

Glenfiddich has a proud tradition of independence that goes beyond just keeping it in the Grant family. In the 1950s Charles Gordon Grant brought coppersmiths and coopers permanently on site to work for the distillery. These craftsmen maintain the stills, build new barrels to fill with spirits, and watch over the stock in their warehouses.

In 1963 Glenfiddich became the first Scottish distillery to start marketing their single malt whisky around the world rather than just selling to blenders. This gamble paid off in a big way, solidifying their position atop the food chain of single malt brands from the very beginning. Furthermore, all of their single malt is matured in warehouses on site, and Glenfiddich is one of only a handful of distilleries that bottles their own whisky.

For the past four years William Grant & Sons have been undertaking an expansion of the already massive distillery. Planning permission was first granted for this project in 2015. But the necessity of keeping up production for the biggest single malt brand in the world has understandably slowed work down.

The most singular whisky ever produced by Glenfiddich, and one of the most expensive ever sold, was a tribute to Scotland’s oldest woman Janet Sheed Roberts. The granddaughter of William Grant, Roberts passed away in 2012 at the age of 110. The year before her death eleven bottles of the 55 year old Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve were sold at auction, with all proceeds going to charity.

The massive amount of production that takes place at Glenfiddich is evident from the equipment it runs. The distillery has not one, but two mash tuns, each of which has a 10 ton capacity. Along with them it runs 32 washbacks made from Douglas Fir and a staggering 31 stills.

Currently the distillery has a production capacity of 13.7 million litres. But with an expansion underway that could reach 20 million litres before long. The backbone of the Glenfiddich Range are the 12, 15, 18, and 21 year old single malts. The Glenfiddich 12 year old is possibly the best selling single malt whisky in the world. Aged in European and American oak sherry casks, this is a well balanced sweet and fruity whisky. A light nose is followed by a richer palate with a touch of oak and a long finish.