Dailuaine is a Speyside malt whisky distillery that William Mackenzie, a local farmer, is said to have built in 1852 near Charlestown of Aberlour.1,2,3 In 1889 its kiln got the first of architect Charles Doig's ventilators, now called pagodas, and Doig was soon asked to build many more.4,5,6Diageo has owned it since 1997.7,8 Its somewhat 'meaty' spirit mainly supplies its owner's blends, drinkers most likely meet it in Johnnie Walker, and less than two per cent is bottled as single malt.7,9
A surprisingly successful “rosé whisky,” balancing raspberries, redcurrants, pepper and artichoke with a long, tart finish of aubergine, blackcurrant and blood…
apricot
barley
black pepper
blackcurrant
+12 more
By Serge Valentin
Producing, 1852–1917
Silent, 1917–1920
Producing, 1920–today
1852190019502000Today
The Mackenzie years
It stands beside the Burn of Carron, 500 metres from the River Spey.1,2,3 In 1863 a 1.25-mile branch line opened to the distillery from Carron station on the Strathspey Railway.2,9 Mackenzie died in 1865, and his widow leased the distillery to James Fleming, a banker from Aberlour.2,7,9 In 1879 Fleming and Mackenzie's son Thomas formed Mackenzie and Company.6,7
Sources disagree: when it opened. This page uses 1852.
1851: ScotchWhisky.com (Whiskypedia), Wikipedia (German)6,7
Rebuilt and enlarged
Sources differ on when the business became Dailuaine-Glenlivet Distilleries Ltd, giving 1884, 1890 or 1891.1,2,7 Over the next three years the new firm rebuilt the distillery, making it the largest single distillery on Speyside.1,2,9 After this rebuild, a visitor named Barnard recorded 8 washbacks, 3 old pot stills and an output of 160,000 gallons a year.1,2,9 Doig's 1889 vent drew in air from all sides above a steep kiln roof meant to cut the time peat smoke touched the drying malt, giving less smoky spirit.4,5,6
Sources disagree: when Dailuaine-Glenlivet Distilleries Ltd took over. This page uses 1884.
Mergers and fire
In 1898 Dailuaine-Glenlivet merged with Talisker to form Dailuaine-Talisker Distilleries Ltd.1,2,7 Thomas Mackenzie died in 1915 with no heir, and a group of the firm's customers bought the company the next year.2,7,10 The buyers were John Dewar & Sons, John Walker & Sons and James Buchanan & Co.2,7,10 In 1917 a fire destroyed the pagoda roof and forced the distillery to close.2,7,9 It reopened in 1920, and in 1925 it became part of .
A railway engine, a fire and a rebuild
In 1939 the distillery bought a locomotive named Dailuaine to work its branch to the main line at Carron.1,2 A 1981 history says the distillery's steam locomotive is now preserved on the Strathspey Railway at Aviemore.1,2 After a second fire in 1959, a rebuild in 1960 took the distillery from 4 to 6 stills.1,2,7 A Saladin box, which turns germinating barley by machine, replaced the floor maltings, and a dark grains plant began making animal feed from pot ale and draff.1,2,7 In 1965 the stills switched from coal to steam heating.7,9
Next: A railway engine, a fire and a rebuild, Under Guinness and Diageo, How it makes its spirit
United Distillers, formed in 1987 from the Distillers Company and Arthur Bell & Sons, both owned by Guinness, took over Dailuaine that year.2,6,8 In 1997 Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan to create Diageo.7,8 In 2012 its production capacity grew by 25%.7,9 By 2013 an anaerobic digestion plant that Diageo developed with Clearfleau for £6 million was turning by-products such as pot ale into energy for the distillery.11,12
Sources disagree: when United Distillers took over. This page uses 1987.
Its water comes from the Balliemullich Burn, and its malt is not peated.2,6,7 German Wikipedia says its malt comes from United Distillers maltings at Roseisle, Muir of Ord and Burghead.6 It has 10 washbacks, the tanks where fermentation happens: 8 of wood and 2 of steel.6,7,9 Fermentation takes 46 hours, though Whiskypedia gives 75 hours.7,9 It has 3 wash stills for the first distillation and 3 spirit stills for the second.2 The wash stills have a 'lamp glass' shape, with a narrow waist that flares out, and the spirit stills are plain.7,9,13 Steam heats the stills, and shell and tube condensers cool the vapour.1,7,9 The condensers hold stainless steel to cut copper contact, and with fast distillation this gives a heavy, 'meaty' spirit.7,9 It can make 5.2 million litres of alcohol a year.9
