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Cragganmore
Whisky Distillery
Although still only 36 years old, John Smith was a legend
deserving of his motto by the time he came to this hidden
place by the Spey in 1869. When a very young man, twenty
or more years before, he was already manager at Macallan.
He went on to be commissioning manager at Glenlivet in 1858
then, after a spell away from Speyside at the Clydesdale
distillery in Wishaw, returning as the lessee of Glenfarclas
in 1865. All the while, you suspect, this giant of a man
(he weighed by various estimates anything up to 364 lbs.)
had in mind the building of his own, definitive distillery
on Speyside.
Leasing from Sir George Macpherson-Grant a site formerly
used by illicit distillers at Ayeon Farm, part of the Ballindalloch
Castle estate, he chose his time and place well. No new
distillery had been built hereabouts for as many as twenty
years, yet a boom was being enjoyed in whisky consumption.
Not only this, but Smith's chosen landlord was a major shareholder
in the new railway; he built the distillery with a private
siding in the confident expectation of increased freight
traffic. Half a mile from the Strathspey railway at Ballindalloch
Station, this was the first Speyside distillery sited to
take advantage of railway transport. Designed by the experienced
Elgin architect Charles Doig, the new distillery buildings
were hewn from hard, granite-like 'greenstone'. This was
quarried from the 1600-foot hill of Cragan Mor, from which
the distillery name comes. Most of the annual output of
around 100,000 gallons was immediately sold on to James
Watson of Dundee for blending.
On John Smith's death in 1886, his 14-year-old son Gordon
was too young to take over the business. John Smith's brother,
George, oversaw it until Gordon’s maturity - during
which time Cragganmore became the first distillery site
on Speyside to take advantage of railway transport. In 1887
– one year after John Smith’s death - the first-ever
‘whisky special’ train left Ballindalloch with
a load of 16,000 gallons.
Unusually, young Gordon Smith learned his trade in South
Africa before taking control in 1893. In 1901, he rebuilt
the entire distillery in the form we know today, though
in keeping with tradition, the two pairs of flat-top stills
(designed by John Smith himself) were preserved. Through
later changes of ownership and two world wars, Cragganmore
continued to produce a complex, highly prized malt, which
in 1925 was rated by blenders the leading malt for blending
in all Speyside.
Cragganmore Distillery, on the banks of the river Spey,
is home to one of the most complex and characterful malt
whiskies of the revered Speyside region. The distillery
is on the official Scotland's Malt Whisky Trail which covers
eight Speyside distilleries and the Speyside Cooperage.
Distillery Manager - Gordon Winton
Opening Times
May - September:
Mon - Fri: Tours daily at 11.30 and 14.00 By Appointment
Only
Contact Us
Cragganmore Distillery,
Ballindalloch, Banffshire AB37 9AB
Email the Cragganmore
Distillery
Tel: +44 (0) 1340 872555 Fax: +44 (0) 1340 872556
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Original
Cragganmore owner, 'Big' John Smith choose the distillery's
private location high on the Spey for a few great reasons.
Barley is naturally a major crop in the area, the presence
of Scotland's fastest flowing river - together with peat
from the uplands to the south is what lured Smith to this
ideal location along with access to Strathspey railway line.
The perfect place for the perfect distillery. And who could
argue with his genius? Successive managers of Cragganmore
have strived to continue his vision to deliver the sweetest,
most complex malt whiskies: fruity, honeyed notes are often
found. And many a taster of has talked lyrically of fruitcake
and toffee flavours. In the late 1980s, Cragganmore was
deservedly chosen by United Distillers (Diageo) to represent
Speyside in their Classic Malts series. 
Nestling on the banks of the legendary salmon river, Cragganmoreª
is, for many, the home of the definitive Speyside malt.
It is known as 'the most complex aroma of any malt - astonishingly
fresh and delicate'. Food suggestion: Why not try Cragganmore™
with sausages or meat pies? Taste style: Complex. Complex
malts will gently unlock their aroma and taste secrets.
J