Knockdhu

Introduction:

Knockdhu is a small Speyside distillery known for its impressive range of official bottlings called An Cnoc. Despite its size, the distillery offers two ranges: one focusing on modern bottlings and the other on vintage releases. The modern range includes various age statements, while the vintage range covers multiple years. Old bottlings with the distillery name are extremely rare.

In 2014, Knockdhu introduced a new range of peated whiskies named after the tools used to harvest peat. Independent bottlings from the site are hard to find, but a few were done by Adelphi in the early 1990s. Knockdhu is also used in Inver House Blends.

Production:

Knockdhu draws its water from nearby burns on Knock hill. The distillery has a production capacity of 1.5 million liters per year and uses a cast iron worm tub for cooling the spirit. It employs six wooden washbacks in its production process.

Pot Stills:

Knockdhu has one wash still and one spirit still, both with tall and narrowing conical necks. This design allows for a high level of reflux in the stills.

Maltings:

While Knockdhu previously used only unpeated malts, they now incorporate mild peating measuring around 20 ppm. Peated malts are used as a blending component in Inver House Blends. The distillery used to have its own floor maltings but now sources them from a nearby industrial source in Speyside.

Warehouse:

Knockdhu ages its malts in a combination of American Oak and Spanish Sherry casks. They have on-site dunnage warehouses for whisky maturation.

History:

In 1893, John Morrison purchased the land from the Duke of Fife to build Knockdhu on behalf of the Distiller’s Company Limited. Designed by architects from Elgin, the distillery started production in October 1894. It operated until 1931 when it was forced to close. Scottish Malt Distillers took over the distillery in 1930 and reopened it in 1933 after a temporary closure. Knockdhu operated successfully until 1983 when it was closed during a recession. Inver House purchased Knockdhu, and production resumed in 1989. The distillery released its first official bottling in 1990 and adopted the name ‘An Cnoc’ in 1993. In 2001, Inver House was acquired by Pacific Spirits UK, followed by International Beverage Holdings in 2006. Knockdhu continues to thrive, and more official and vintage releases are anticipated.

Visitor’s Centre:

Knockdhu does not have an official visitor’s centre but offers tours by advance booking. Visit their official website for opening hours and contact information.

Visitor information:

Knockdhu Distillery
Knock
Huntly
Aberdeenshire
AB54 7LJ
Tel: +44 (0)1466-771223
Email: kennedyl@inverhouse.com