Glen Spey

Stuart, a grain merchant who then held the licence of Macallan, turned a disused oatmeal mill into the distillery.^1,2,3 Alfred Barnard's 1887 book called it the newest distillery in the district, below the ruins of the Castle of Rothes.⁵ He found its own maltings with a kiln heated by peat, two pot stills, and six washbacks.⁵

W&A Gilbey bought it to secure a steady supply of malt whisky for its blends, and in time added Knockando and Strathmill.^1,3,4 In 1920 a large fire broke out at the distillery.^6,7 In 1962 W&A Gilbey merged with United Wine Traders to form International Distillers & Vintners.^1,2,4 The merger brought in the J&B blend, which Glen Spey already supplied with whisky.^1,2,4

In 1970 the distillery was rebuilt, and its stills went from two to four.^1,2,3 In 1972 the brewer Watney Mann bought International Distillers & Vintners, and six months later Grand Metropolitan bought Watney Mann.^1,4 In 1997 Grand Metropolitan merged with Guinness to form Diageo, which owns Glen Spey today.^1,4

It uses unpeated malt and water from the Deonie Burn.¹ It has 8 steel washbacks.¹ Wort, the sugary water from the mash, ferments for at least 46 hours.¹ It has 2 wash stills and 2 spirit stills.² The stills are ball-shaped and heated by steam.¹ Shell and tube condensers turn the vapour back into spirit.¹ Its stills use purifiers, small condensers that send some vapour back to be distilled again, which gives a lighter spirit with some oiliness.^1,2 It can make 1,400,000 litres of alcohol a year.²