Glendullan
Glendullan was the last distillery built in the city of Dufftown. It was established in the year 1897 by William Williams.
| Information about the Distillery | |
|---|---|
| Scotland, Speyside | |
| -3.118380 57.447880 | |
| Active | |
| Diageo | |
| 12 t | |
| 1897 | |
| 3,700,000 l |
| Average tasting notes Tasting notes |
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|---|---|---|
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Nosing
Fruit:
Sweet:
Sweet:
Vanilla:
Fruit:
Vanilla:
Spices:
Pear:
Zitrus:
Sherry:
Oak:
Herbs:
Pineapple:
Spices:
Pineapple:
Cinnamon:
Apple:
Malt:
Honey:
Orange:
Nuts:
Zitrus:
Herbs:
Cinnamon:
Floral:
Herb:
Honey:
Caramel:
Raisin:
Plum:
Raisin:
Oak:
Leather:
Hay:
Chocolate:
Chocolate:
Clove:
Almonds:
Almonds:
Hay:
Banana:
Fig:
Fig:
Kiwi:
Kiwi:
Banana:
Pear:
Strawberry:
Floral:
Caramel:
Malt:
Dried Fruit:
Strawberry:
Dried Fruit:
Green Apple:
Orange:
Apple:
Chili:
Red Currant:
Red Currant:
Herb:
Peat Smoke:
Lime:
Grape:
Alcohol:
Berries:
Berries:
Oil:
Barley:
Tobacco:
Alcohol:
Coffee:
Chili:
Green Apple:
Tropical Fruit:
Lemon:
Peach:
Peach:
Sherry:
Nuts:
Tropical Fruit:
Coffee:
Grape:
Plum:
Nutmeg:
Tobacco:
Lime:
Hazelnut:
Hazelnut:
Oil:
Nutmeg:
Lemon:
Tasting
Sweet:
Fruit:
Spices:
Sweet:
Oak:
Zitrus:
Vanilla:
Pepper:
Pepper:
Fruit:
Caramel:
Nuts:
Oak:
Malt:
Vanilla:
Zitrus:
Spices:
Honey:
Sherry:
Chocolate:
Pear:
Berries:
Chocolate:
Orange:
Herbs:
Herb:
Malt:
Dark Chocolate:
Caramel:
Pear:
Herbs:
Oil:
Lemon:
Raisin:
Lemon:
Herb:
Oil:
Orange:
Lime:
Apple:
Lime:
Pineapple:
Honey:
Dark Chocolate:
Tropical Fruit:
Strawberry:
Strawberry:
Nuts:
Hay:
Almonds:
Grass:
Almonds:
Grass:
Hay:
Nutmeg:
Tropical Fruit:
Peat Smoke:
Barley:
Alcohol:
Red Currant:
Red Currant:
Berries:
Grape:
Apple:
Sherry:
Chili:
Floral:
Raisin:
Heather:
Grape:
Salt:
Floral:
Maritime Notes:
Chili:
Lemon Peel:
Cake:
Heather:
Dried Fruit:
Clove:
Cake:
Fig:
Maritime Notes:
Wheat:
Lemon Peel:
Salt:
Alcohol:
Clove:
Cinnamon:
Tobacco:
Fig:
Grapefruit:
Tobacco:
Green Apple:
Peach:
Grapefruit:
Cinnamon:
Black Currant:
Coffee:
Rye:
Pineapple:
Dried Fruit:
Barley:
Green Apple:
Wheat:
Nutmeg:
Banana:
Finish
Sweet:
Spices:
Sweet:
Nuts:
Fruit:
Malt:
Oak:
Spices:
Oak:
Oil:
Fruit:
Oil:
Chocolate:
Zitrus:
Chocolate:
Wheat:
Pepper:
Barley:
Peat Smoke:
Pepper:
Berries:
Honey:
Malt:
Peat Smoke:
Almonds:
Berries:
Herb:
Ginger:
Ginger:
Herb:
Vanilla:
Zitrus:
Caramel:
Herbs:
Dark Chocolate:
Sherry:
Vanilla:
Strawberry:
Strawberry:
Caramel:
Pear:
Red Currant:
Red Currant:
Heather:
Cinnamon:
Pear:
Herbs:
Dark Chocolate:
Maritime Notes:
Cinnamon:
Honey:
Floral:
Tobacco:
Grapefruit:
Barley:
Fig:
Heather:
Apple:
Alcohol:
Bonfire Smoke:
Orange:
Grapefruit:
Cherry:
Raisin:
Floral:
Maritime Notes:
Salt:
Raisin:
Apple:
Salt:
Dried Fruit:
Fig:
Dried Fruit:
Sherry:
Rye:
Tobacco:
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The Whisky
The Dufftown distillery of Glendullan has a series of official bottlings, although since 2007 release have mainly been found under the “Singleton” label, part of Diageo’s continent-orientated outreach. Glendullan is the Singleton specifically aimed at the USA. The official bottlings have included an 8 year old, a 12 year old, a 16 year old, and a 23 year old. There has also been a range of independent bottlings at the distillery. The majorities of these have been performed by Gordon & MacPhail and Signatory Vintage, and have been focused mainly on older casks. Over the years, the majority of the Single Malt produced at Glendullan has been used in Blends such as William’s and Old Parr. As a result of this, the visibility of Glendullan as a Single Malt has been relatively low, although that has begun to change in recent years.
The Production
It is quite bizarre that Glendullan is such an under-the-radar distillery, as it produces almost 4 million liters of alcohol a year, making it Diageo’s second largest distillery in Scotland. The site’s specific production capacity stands at 3.7 million liters, and the water used in production comes from the nearby River Fiddich and Conval Hill.
The Pot Stills
Due to the pressure put on the Glendullan to be high producing, the distillery has a core team of six stills to maximize production capacities. The site has three wash stills which contain 23’800 liters, and three spirit stills which can hold 33’700 liters. Both the wash and the spirit stills are pear shaped, with particularly wide and rounded spherical lids, and drastically narrowing conical necks.
Maltings
Glendullan sources its maltings from a Diageo industrial source. The malt used in the production is unpeated.
Warehouse
The spirit that is used for blending is transported offsite, to one of Diageo’s blending facilities. The Single Malt that is destined to be sold as Single Malt is aged in on-site warehouses, which uses ex-Bourbon casks to age the spirit.
The History
Glendullan distillery is located in one of the busiest Whisky areas in the world: Dufftown. The town has no less than six currently active distilleries, and three currently closed ones. William Willams & Sons, blenders from Aberdeen, founded Glendullan in 1898. The new distillery made a smash immediately, becoming a favorite of King Edward VII, to whom it was supplied by Royal Request from 1902. In 1919, the company changed their name to Macdonald, Greenlees & Williams Ltd, and then in 1926 was taken over by Distillers Company Limited. DCL decided to transfer Glendullan to the management of another distillery, and so in 1939, SMD assumed control of the site.
In 1962, SMD undertook a large-scale renovation at the site, in which two brand new stills were installed. A decade later, in 1972, the site underwent a major reconstruction, which involved the construction of completely new distillery next to the original distillery. The new distillery housed six stills, which are the three spirits and wash stills that drive production today. For a few years the original distillery and the new build operated simultaneously, until the former was mothballed during the big British recession in 1985. That same year, Diageo, who added Glendullan to their ever-growing portfolio, bought SMD. In 1995, Glendullan was released as a Single Malt as part of the Diageo Rare Malts range in an effort to increase the visibility of the distillery. Although most of the production is still used for blending, Glendullan is becoming increasingly well known as a Single Malt.
Visitor’s Centre
Sadly there is not a visitor’s centre at the distillery, nor is it possible to take tours of the facilities.
Glendullan Distillery
Dufftown
Moray
AB55 4DJ
User Notes about the Distillery
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