Glen Garioch

Glen Garioch, located in Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire, is a distillery with a rich history dating back to at least 1797, and there are even claims of it producing whisky legally before that, which could make it the oldest distillery in Scotland. Ownership by blenders J.F. Thompson in 1884, and subsequently William Sanderson of Vat 69 fame in 1886, ensured its survival. Sanderson took full control in 1908. Glen Garioch joined the DCL family in 1935 through a merger with Booth's and later emerged under the banner of DCL in 1937. Production continued until 1968 when it was considered for peated whisky production but was closed in favor of Brora. Stanley P. Morrison, a Glasgow broker with ties to Bowmore and Auchentoshan, acquired the distillery in 1970, bringing it back to life with a new water source and innovative heat recovery systems. Glen Garioch produced heavily peated malt until 1995 when it temporarily closed, reopening two years later with a different style. Today, it's a part of the Beam Suntory portfolio, focusing solely on single malt production.