Glenallachie

GlenAllachie, a relatively young distillery in the whisky world, emerged in 1967 during the whisky boom driven by the United States. It was constructed by Mackinlays, a subsidiary of Scottish & Newcastle Breweries. The distillery's design, credited to William Delmé-Evans, the architect behind other notable distilleries like Macduff, Tullibardine, and Jura, set the stage for its distinctive character. Mackinlays eventually became part of Invergordon Distillers in 1985, and GlenAllachie changed hands again, landing with Campbell Distillers/Pernod Ricard in 1989. During this period, GlenAllachie experienced periods of mothballing.

In 2017, a significant shift occurred when Chivas Brothers sold GlenAllachie to The GlenAllachie Distillers Company, led by industry veterans Billy Walker, Graham Stevenson, and Trisha Savage. Under their ownership, a capital 'A' was added to the distillery's name, aligning it with the changes made to BenRiach and GlenDronach during Walker's previous tenure. The new owners embarked on a mission to reposition GlenAllachie as a distillery known for its bold and fruity malt whisky. This endeavor involved extending fermentation times and introducing peated runs, which account for 20% of production. The facilities include a semi-lauter mash tun, six stainless steel washbacks, and a set of lantern-shaped wash stills and onion-shaped spirit stills. With its gravity-fed design, the distillery features horizontal condensers for temperature control.

Although the distillery's production capacity sits at around 4 million liters of alcohol (LOA), its annual production under Walker's stewardship only makes around 500,000 LOA in order to maintain its quality and consistency. GlenAllachie's commitment to aging is evident in its 16 on-site warehouses, housing over 50,000 casks, some dating back to the 1970s, ready to shape the future of this evolving distillery.