Glenfiddich

Introduction:

The Glenfiddich distillery, located in the hills of Speyside near the bustling Whisky town of Dufftown, is one of the most renowned and prolific distilleries in the Scottish Whisky world. Known for its extensive range of official bottlings, Glenfiddich is recognized as the best-selling Single Malt Scotch Whisky globally. The distillery offers a core range of different ages, including 12, 15, 18, and 21-year-old expressions, along with wood finishes and cask strength editions. Notably, Glenfiddich also holds the distinction of producing the oldest Single Malt on the market, Cask 843, filled in 1937, with only 61 bottles remaining after the angels’ share.

Independent bottlings of Glenfiddich are rare and hard to find. While Glenfiddich used to create its own blends in the past, it currently focuses on producing Grant’s Blends, and its Single Malt is not used in any other external blends.

Production:

Glenfiddich boasts an awe-inspiring production capacity, earning its nickname “the giant” by producing 10 million liters of whisky per year. The distillery sources its water from the nearby Robbie Dubh. What makes Glenfiddich even more remarkable is its humble beginnings, as it was allegedly founded with only £120 of capital. It was also the first distillery to incorporate continuous mashing into its process. With 24 Douglas fir washbacks and three mash tuns (although only two are regularly used), Glenfiddich stands out with its on-site bottling line, a rarity among distilleries.

Pot Stills:

With its significant production capacity, Glenfiddich boasts 30 pot stills. Among them are 10 pear-shaped wash stills with a capacity of 9,000 liters and twenty spirit stills with a capacity of 4,500 liters. The spirit stills have a unique design, featuring a half constricting piece and half a reflux bowl in the intermediate section. These stills are fired directly with gas. Glenfiddich takes pride in having on-site coppersmiths since 1957, responsible for constructing the stills used in production. In 1974, the distillery installed 16 new stills, bringing its capacity to the modern-day level.

Maltings:

Presently, Glenfiddich sources its malt from external suppliers, primarily from the neighboring Balvenie distillery, also owned by William Grant & Sons. However, until 1958, Glenfiddich used its own floor maltings. Due to increased production demands, the distillery had to rely on external sources. Notably, the malt used in Glenfiddich’s production is unpeated.

Warehouses:

Glenfiddich matures all of its Single Malt Whisky on-site in 43 warehouses with a capacity of up to 800,000 casks. In 1959, Gordon Grant established a dedicated cooperage, which remains active today, making it one of the last in Scotland. Glenfiddich uses a variety of oak casks, including rum casks from the Caribbean for the 21-year-old Gran Reserva, American bourbon barrels for the Ancient Reserve, and sherry butts from Jerez, Spain.

History:

Glenfiddich holds a unique position among Scottish distilleries as it is still managed by its founders, William Grant & Sons. Founded by William Grant between 1886-87, Glenfiddich joined Balvenie and Mortlach under his ownership. The distillery faced challenges during the Pattison crisis in 1898, leading to the decision to blend their own whisky. Standfast became a successful blend for Glenfiddich. In 1963, Glenfiddich introduced its single malt as an official bottling, creating the concept of a single malt range and defying skeptics who doubted its success. Throughout the twentieth century, Glenfiddich continued to expand its range of single malts and implemented innovative marketing strategies.

Visitor’s Centre:

In 1969, Glenfiddich became the first distillery to open a visitor’s center. After a £1.7 million rebuild in 2005, the center now welcomes 125,000 visitors annually, providing significant financial support to the distillery. The visitor’s center offers distillery tours, a gift shop, bar, and restaurant for visitors to enjoy.

Visitor information:

The Glenfiddich Distillery
Dufftown
Keith
Banffshire
AB55 4DH
Tel: +44 (0)1340-820373
Email: glenfiddichbookings@wgrant.com