Glen Moray distillery

It has been more than 120 years since we first began crafting Glen Moray in the heart of Speyside. Our rich heritage continues to inspire our single malt Scotch whisky today. Read on to discover our story.

Our story begins as the Elgin West Brewery, which had made local ales since 1830, is transformed into the whisky distillery we know so well today. The first spirit runs off our stills on 13th September, 1897, according to handwritten ledgers, now kept safe in our archives.

Made entirely from local barley, that new make spirit is filled into an unusually wide variety of casks for the time, including Marsala wine casks and sherry casks.

After a short silent period during the First World War, our distillery begins making whisky again and is bought by Macdonald & Muir, a renowned wine and spirits merchant.

Embracing our Speyside heritage, we purchase nearby Gallowcrook Farm, whose barley had been used to craft the very first batch of Glen Moray in 1897. Meanwhile, two new coppers stills and a new still house are added, and our distillery is upgraded from coal to oil. Modern malting facilities are also installed (many distilleries still malted their own barley at the time). These allow us to double our output, making Glen Moray one of the most up-to-date distilleries in Scotland. Of course, new warehouses are also built, to hold the rising number of casks.

Our first wood-finished whiskies are launched - a Chardonnay white wine cask finish and a Chenin Blanc white wine finish. These pioneering single malt whiskies rekindle our tradition of maturing whisky in a wide variety of casks. A custom as old as our distillery itself, it shapes our extensive range of Scotch whiskies today.