Glenfarclas distillery, Ballindalloch, Scotland

History

Company was established in 1836.

Glenfarclas distillery is a Speyside whisky distillery in Ballindalloch, Scotland. Glenfarclas translates as meaning valley of the green grass. The distillery is owned and run by the Grant family. The distillery has six stills which are the largest on Speyside and are heated directly by gas burners.

The distillery has a production capacity of around 3.5 million litres of spirit per year. Normally four stills are used for production with two kept in reserve.

The distillery has approximately 68,000 casks maturing on site, in traditional dunnage warehouses, with stock from every year from 1953 to the current year. Glenfarclas produce a traditional Highland malt with a heavy sherry influence.

History

There is evidence that the distillery first started operations sometime before 1791. The distillery was first granted a licence in 1836 when it was run by Robert Hay. On 8 June 1865 it was bought by John Grant and is still owned and run by his descendants, making it truly independent.

John Grant sent his son George G. Grant to run the operations at Gelnfarclas. In 1890, on the death of George G. Grant, his widow Elsie took over the licence for the distillery.

At sometime over the following years, Elsie handed active management of the Distillery to her son's John and George. The Grants formed a partnership with Pattisons Ltd in August 1896 at the height of the whisky boom. Following the crash that followed the Grants resumed full ownership of the distillery. John retired due to ill health in 1913 and George became sole proprietor. In 1947 Glenfarclas became and private limited company, owned by George's sons, George S. Grant and John P. Grant.

John L.S. Grant, who joined Glenfarclas in 1973, is the current Chairman. His son George S. Grant is Director of Sales. The company was named Distiller of the Year by Whisky Magazine in 2006.

Since 2006 Glenfarclas has been distributed in the UK by Pol Roger Ltd. In 2008 the company began sponsoring horseracing with the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase at Cheltenham. In 2011, the 40-year-old 46% vol. expression was named "Scotch Whisky Single Malt of the Year" in the 17th Annual Malt Advocate Whisky Awards.

Visitor Centre

Glenfarclas was one of the first distilleries to open a visitor centre in 1973. Today the visitor centre is open on weekdays throughout the year and Saturdays from July to September.

The visitor centre includes the "Ship's Room", a tasting room, with panelling from the RMS Empress of Australia - this ship was of historical importance for ferrying the last British troops home from Bombay, after they had symbolically passed through the Gateway of India, bringing an end to over two centuries of British imperial rule in India.