The Balvenie Distillery

The Balvenie Craftsmen That Produce The Distillery's Amazing Single Malt Expressions

In early 1892 work began to convert an 18th century mansion - Balvenie New House - into a distillery.

The Balvenie New House had been purchased by William Grant in March of the same year. Uninhabitable and austere, it was a building of some grandeur with the coat of arms of the Duffs carved into the pediment of its second story.

William Grant was a clever businessman and saw this as another venture. He had the land, the rights to use the water and a strong business compulsion to extend his options.

News of the development spread rapidly through the whisky community and congratulations and good wishes poured in. The building took fifteen months to complete and on 1st May 1893, the first distillation took place at The Balvenie Distillery.

Over the years there have been a number of discreet expansions. In the early 1920's the old mansion was levelled to the basement floor and the stone blocks were used to build a new malt barn and kiln. The old malt kiln was converted into malt bins, electric light was installed and the number of stills has increased to nine.

Today Balvenie is the only distillery in the Scottish Highlands that continues to operate there own floor maltings, with four men in shifts turning the barley three times a day, seven days a week. The distillery also grows its own barley, and employs a full-time Coppersmith to care for thier unique stills and Coopers to care for their casks.

And if that doesnt prove how seriously they take their product, consider that their master malter David Smith is the longest serving malt master in the business. Successive generations of skill on the malting floor, in the turn room and the still house, in the cooperage and the warehouses have preserved the consistency and remarkably high quality of The Balvenie down the years. more photo's...