Glen Garioch is a malt whisky distillery on the edge of Oldmeldrum in Aberdeenshire, founded in 1797.1,2,3 Much of its output once went into the VAT 69 blend.1,4,5 It reopened in 1997 making unpeated spirit, and by 2022 it had reinstated malt floors and a direct-fire still.1,6,7
A creamy, malty Glen Garioch with honey, apricots, peaches, mangoes and nuts; the reviewer finds it really good, though just short of next level.
apple
apricot
bourbon
chalk
+12 more
By Thijs Klaverstijn
Producing, 1973–1995
Silent, 1995–1997
Producing, 1997–today
1797185019001950Today
Founded in 1797
Its four-storey malt floor and store building dates from about 1780.8,9 The distillery names the Manson brothers as founders; Barnard and the Aberdeenshire record name Ingram, Lamb & Co., and Whiskypedia and a Canmore record name Thomas Simpson.1,2,3 Ingram, Lamb and Co re-established it in 1827.3,4 In 1837 it returned to the Manson family, and co-founder John Manson's son, also named John, took over the business.1,4,10
Sources disagree: when it opened. This page uses 1797.
In 1884 the Mansons sold it to Leith wine and spirits merchants named JG Thomson & Co by the distillery and J. F. Thomson by Barnard.1,4,5 In 1886 William Sanderson of VAT 69 bought a 50% share.1,4,5 In 1887 Alfred Barnard found two maltings, a kiln heated with peat, five washbacks and two stills.10,11 It also had a timber worm tub, water from Percock Hill, and an output of 50,000 gallons of malt whisky a year.10,11 William Sanderson died in 1908, and his son William Mark Sanderson succeeded him.1 Whiskypedia says William Sanderson took full control in 1908, while the distillery says William Mark Sanderson and fellow investors did in 1921 or 1922.
Booth's, DCL and a silent spell
In 1933 William Mark Sanderson's son Kenneth sold the family company to Booth's Distilleries.1,4,5 In 1937 DCL bought Booth's, and the distillery went to Scottish Malt Distillers, part of DCL.1,4,5 When war broke out in 1939, output was cut by two thirds, and production stopped altogether in 1943/44.1,5 Post-war grain rationing held it back until 1960/61, when it could again meet demand at the pre-war level.1 DCL stopped production in 1968, citing chronic water shortages, after weighing it against Brora as a site for heavily peated whisky.
A new spring and more stills
In 1970 Scottish Malt Distillers sold it for £150,000 to Stanley P Morrison, a Glasgow whisky broker that owned Bowmore.1,3,5 In 1972 new manager Joe Hughes and 'Digger' Grant found the Silent Spring of Coutens Farm; the distillery calls Grant Ian, and Difford's calls him Alec.1,5,6 The spring flowed enough to increase production ten-fold.1,5,6 Morrison went from two stills to three in 1972.1,4,5 In 1973 the distillery was largely rebuilt and extended to four stills.1
Next: A new spring and more stills, Tomatoes from waste heat, Morrison Bowmore and Suntory, Back to floor malting, How it makes its spirit
In 1977 the Greenhouse Project won planning permission; heat recovered from the gas-fired stills warmed the malt kiln, pre-heated the wash, and heated glasshouses and poly-tunnels.1,3,4 The distillery became famous for its tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and cucumbers, and the project ended in 1993.1,3,4 In 1980 it was one of a handful of malt whisky distilleries still floor malting in the traditional way.3
Morrison Bowmore and Suntory
In 1987 the owner, Stanley P. Morrison, renamed itself Morrison Bowmore Distillers.12 The maltings closed in 1993, and around the same time the stills changed from direct gas firing to indirect steam heating.4,5,11 Until then its own malt had been peated, lightly by one account and heavily by another.4,5,11Suntory, which bought a 35% stake in 1989, completed its takeover of Morrison Bowmore in 1994.4,12,13 In 1995 it closed for two years, after making its last spirit from smoked barley.1,4,6 During the closure its second, smaller wash still was removed, and it now stands outside the Auchentoshan visitor centre.1,4,6 When it reopened in 1997, it used commercially sourced malt, while its own floor maltings stood unused.1,5,6 In 2014 Morrison Bowmore became part of Beam Suntory, which renamed itself Suntory Global Spirits in 2024.4,13,14
Work began in 2020 on a £6 million renovation to bring back floor maltings and fit direct-fired heating to the wash still.11,15,16 A direct-fire still is heated by a live flame instead of steam, and the owner expected its method to cut the carbon footprint by around 15%.11,15,16 On 22 March 2022 the distillery reopened to the public with reinstated malt floors and a direct-fire still.7,16,17
How it makes its spirit
Its water comes from the Silent Spring of Coutens Farm.1,4,6 It malts barley on its own floor maltings, though one guide lists Simpson's as its malt supplier.4,7 The malt is unpeated, though small batches of smoky barley have been run in recent years.1,4,18 It has 8 stainless steel washbacks, filled with wort from the mash waters and yeast.4,18 Fermentation lasts 50 hours, though there were plans to increase fermentation times.4,11 These short ferments give the new spirit a deep cereal and spice note.4,11 It has a single wash still and 2 spirit stills, but only the larger spirit still is used.4,6,18 The stills are onion-shaped, with unusually long arms that increase the vapour's contact with the copper.4,18 The wash still has direct-fired heating, though two guides list steam heating.4,7,18 For lack of space it uses shell and tube condensers rather than worm tubs, and these condensers make a relatively light spirit.4,18 Its new spirit is described as waxy and tallow-like, or as slightly sweet and cereal-like.4,18 It can make 1,000,000 litres of alcohol a year.4 Its buildings have been listed Category B, a mark of special architectural or historic interest, since 1984.8
Good rating, 80–84 range
Review score, 8.6 out of 10