Invergordon, the northernmost grain whisky distillery in Scotland, was founded in 1959 in Easter Ross.1,2,3 Whyte & Mackay has owned it since 1993, and Emperador Inc. has owned Whyte & Mackay since 2014.2,4,5
Provost Grigor of Inverness and accountant Frank Thomson formed the company behind it, to counter unemployment after a naval base closed.1,2,3 Excise officer Irvine Butterfield recalled that the whole plant shook on the first run in July 1961; a rusted ball cock in the water supply tank had stopped the water.
No grain, no gain: continuing from yesterday and the day before…
No grain, no gain: continuing from yesterday…
No grain, no gain: continuing from yesterday…
In 1965 Invergordon Distillers built Ben Wyvis, a malt distillery with two pot stills, inside the Invergordon complex.1,2,4 It made malt spirit for blending until 1977, when it closed so the company could focus on its other distilleries, and it was dismantled.1,2,4
Invergordon Distillers became a subsidiary of London Merchant Securities in 1960.4 In 1965 ownership passed to Invergordon Distillers (Holdings) Ltd, set up to hold the whisky companies of London Merchant Securities.4,7 In 1978 aircraft maker Hawker Siddeley bought Carlton Industries, the majority shareholder with 76% of Invergordon Distillers.4,7,8 In 1988 managers led by Dr Chris Greig bought out Hawker Siddeley's shares, and 15% of the shares went to staff with two or more years' service.4,7,8
In 1993 Whyte & Mackay, then owned by American Brands, won a contested takeover of Invergordon Distillers; its master blender said the grain distillery gave it independence for blending.2,4,5 In 2001 Fortune Brands, as American Brands had been renamed, sold Whyte & Mackay, including the Invergordon grain distillery, to its managers, who named the company Kyndal.5,9,10 In 2007 United Spirits Limited of India bought Whyte & Mackay, saying Invergordon would give it a lasting source of Scotch whisky.5,9,11 After Diageo took control of United Spirits, UK regulators ordered United Spirits to give up some assets, and Emperador Inc. bought Whyte & Mackay in 2014.5,9,12
By 2013 the plant had switched from wheat back to imported maize grown in south-west France.13 Production director Ian Mackie said newer wheat varieties gave many small grains the plant could not process, disrupting production for five years.13
In April 2017 Whyte & Mackay won planning approval for an anaerobic digester to replace the dark grains plant, which was installed in the 1970s.14,15,16 In July 2023 it announced it would double the maturation complex from 45.4 to 92 hectares, and Emperador later said building of more warehouses had started.6,17,18
Single grain whisky is made from malted and unmalted grains and distilled in tall column stills, not the pot stills used for single malt.3 Its official site describes massive column stills over 50 feet tall.3 Whiskypedia lists 3 Coffey stills, but Whisky Magazine reported that only one grain whisky still remained in place.6,12,13 Whiskypedia gives a capacity of 36 million litres of alcohol a year, while a 2007 report gave 40 million.5,9,12 Its water comes from Loch Glass.3,6,12 Whiskypedia gives fermentation as around 70 hours; a 2013 report described 24 hours in continuous fermenters, then 12 to 24 hours in washbacks.
Every bottle in Peated with a vintage year.
Bottles in Peated distilled at Invergordon, by release year.
| Year distilled | Bottles |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 | 1 |
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