The Glen Grant

In 1952 the Grants' firm, J&J Grant, merged with George and J. G. Smith, owner of The Glenlivet, to form The Glenlivet and Glen Grant Distilleries.^7,11 In 1961 Douglas Mackessack met Italian businessman Armando Giovinetti, who began importing the single malt to Italy.⁹ Italy soon became the brand's leading export market.⁹ Also in 1961, Dennis Malcolm began an apprenticeship at the distillery as a cooper, or barrel maker.^1,9 In 1970 The Glenlivet and Glen Grant Distilleries merged with Hill, Thomson & Co and Longmorn-Glenlivet to form The Glenlivet Distillers.^3,4,12 He was appointed brewer in 1971, at the age of 24.¹⁰

In 1973 a new stillhouse added 2 stills, taking the count from 4 to 6, and gas was brought in to heat them.⁴ Seagram Distillers bought The Glenlivet Distillers in 1977, which ended the Grant family's involvement.^4,11,12 That year 4 more stills went into the new stillhouse, making 10.⁴ Under Seagram and Pernod Ricard, from 1977 to 2006, staff shrank to 5 and the distillery was run as a production unit.¹⁰ In 1983 the old stillhouse closed and 2 larger stills went into the new one, leaving 8.⁴ The wash stills went back to coal, while the spirit stills switched to steam.⁴ Dennis Malcolm managed the distillery from 1983 to 1992.³ Pernod Ricard took over Seagram's whisky business in 2001, and Glen Grant came under Chivas Brothers.⁴

Sources

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