Mannochmore Distillery

Mannochmore distillery is definitely one of Diageo’s workhorses, without the same level of tourist interaction and storied history that many distilleries build up over centuries of history. Built in 1971 to provide malt for blends by Distillers Company Limited, Mannochmore is tucked away on the grounds of Glenlossie distillery in Elgin.

With another distillery on site, as well as a dark grains plant converting Diageo’s distillation byproducts into animal feed, Mannochmore can be hard to find for someone who doesn’t already know what they’re looking for. For years Mannochmore and Glenlossie worked in concert. Each would operate for six months at a time, with the same workers moving back and forth between the two. Mannochmore’s state of affairs took a turn for the worse in 1985 when it was mothballed due to an oversupply in the market. The distillery would stay shut for four years after this until it reopened under United Distillers in 1989.

Mannochmore would become slightly infamous for the production of the 10 year old Loch Dhu, the ‘Black Whisky’ which was first released in 1996. The incredibly dark coloured whisky wasn’t on the market for long before Diageo pulled it. Like all rare things, of which there will be no more made, it has since become a highly sought after collectible.

The distillery is equipped with an 11.1 ton mash tun and 16 washbacks which are divided half and half between wood and stainless steel. With eight stills, it has an annual production capacity of 6 million litres of spirits a year. Water for Mannochmore is drawn from Barden Burn, which also supplies Glenlossie. This Speyside whisky has been described as an aperitif drink, with a character that is light and floral, but dry.

There is only one main commercially available distillery bottling from Mannochmore. This is the 12 year old in the Flora & Fauna Range, a fresh and sweet whisky. A nose of citrus and some malt is followed by a floral palate with notes of vanilla and ginger. The nose is medium length, surprisingly dry for a Speyside whisky. The only other bottling from the distillery in recent years is a 25 year old single malt which came out in 2016 as part of the Special Releases range. Independent bottlings are not common, but can be found, particularly from Signatory.