Glendullan

Introduction:

Glendullan distillery, located in Dufftown, has a range of official bottlings, primarily released under the “Singleton” label for the USA market. These include an 8 – year – old, 12 – year – old, 16 – year – old, and 23 – year – old expressions. Independent bottlings, mainly from Gordon & MacPhail and Signatory Vintage, have focused on older casks. Glendullan’s Single Malt has been predominantly used in blends like William’s and Old Parr, resulting in limited visibility as a standalone whisky, although this is changing in recent years.

Production:

Despite being relatively unknown, Glendullan produces nearly 4 million liters of alcohol per year, making it Diageo’s second-largest distillery in Scotland. The specific production capacity is 3.7 million liters, with water sourced from the nearby River Fiddich and Conval Hill.

Pot Stills:

To meet high production demands, Glendullan operates six stills: three wash stills with a capacity of 23,800 liters each and three spirit stills holding 33,700 liters each. Both the wash and spirit stills have pear-shaped designs, featuring wide spherical lids and narrowing conical necks.

Maltings:

Glendullan sources its maltings from a Diageo-owned industrial source, utilizing unpeated malt in production.

Warehouse:

Spirit destined for blending is transported offsite to Diageo’s blending facilities. On-site warehouses are used to age Single Malt, predominantly in ex-Bourbon casks.

History:

Founded in 1898 by William Williams & Sons, Glendullan quickly gained popularity, becoming a favorite of King Edward VII. The company changed its name to Macdonald, Greenlees & Williams Ltd in 1919 and was taken over by Distillers Company Limited (DCL) in 1926. In 1939, SMD (a subsidiary of DCL) assumed control of Glendullan. In 1962, the distillery underwent a significant renovation, adding two new stills. A major reconstruction took place in 1972, resulting in a new distillery adjacent to the original one, housing six stills that remain in operation today. The original distillery was mothballed in 1985 during a recession, while Diageo acquired Glendullan from SMD. In 1995, Glendullan was released as a Single Malt under the Diageo Rare Malts range to increase its visibility. Despite being primarily used for blending, Glendullan is gaining recognition as a Single Malt.

Visitor’s Centre:

Unfortunately, Glendullan does not have a visitor’s centre, and tours of the facilities are not available.

Visitor information:

Glendullan Distillery
Dufftown
Moray
AB55 4DJ