GLEN KEITH

Distillery Opened Capacity Malting Floor Washback Type Number of Washbacks Number of Wash Stills Number of Spirit Stills
1957 6 million litres Dismissed in 1976 Oregon pine, stainless steel 9 + 6 3 3
Glen Keith distillery is one of the youngest distilleries in Scotland, having only been founded in 1957 by the Chivas Brothers.

Glen Keith distillery is located in the beautiful Speyside town of Keith, within eyeshot of Strathisla, the oldest distillery in Scotland.

In the 1970s, after a successful first decade of production, the Glen Keith distillery expanded from two stills to five.

The stills of the Glen Keith distillery were the first to be gas-fuelled in Scotland.

In 1999, the Glen Keith distillery was mothballed. The Glen Keith distillery lay quiet for over a decade, until a large-scale renovation began in 2012.

The Glen Keith distillery was re-opened in 2013, with its production capacity increasing from 3.5 million liters to 6 million.

The majority of the single malt produced at the Glen Keith distillery is still used in the Chivas Brothers owned-blends, although Chivas themselves have been taken over by Pernod Ricard.

Glen Keith distillery has sometimes functioned as an experimental workshop for whisky production including triple distillation, malt whisky from column stills and experiments on new strains of yeast.
  • 1957 The Glen Keith distillery is founded by Chivas Brothers (Seagrams).
  • 1958 Glen Keith distillery starts production.
  • 1970 In the Glein Keith distillery the first gas still in Scotland is installed, the number of stills is increased from three to five.
  • 1976 Glen Keith distillery ceases production of malts (Saladin box).
  • 1983 A sixth still is installed.
  • 1994 The first official bottling of the distillery, a 10 year old, is released as part of Seagram's Heritage Selection.
  • 1999 The distillery is mothballed.
  • 2001 Pernod Ricard takes over Chivas Brothers from Seagrams.
  • 2012 The reconstruction and refurbishing of the Glen Keith distillery begins.
  • 2013 Glen Keith distillery starts production again.

The Glen Keith distillery is equipped with a Briggs 8 ton full lauter mash tun and six stainless steel washbacks. In the old building there are nine new washbacks made of Oregon pine and six, old but refurbished stills. The stills have extremely long lyne arms and the desired character of the new make spirit is fruity.

The only official  bottling of Glen Keith distillery is:

  • 17 yo

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