Glen Garioch ("glen geery")was founded in 1797, making it one of Scotland's oldest distilleries still in production. In fact it may well be Scotland's first licensed distillery. Varying dates are given as to the founding of the distillery, but all are predated by an article in the Aberdeen Journal on the 1st December 1785, which announced the first distillation of spirit at the site.
In 1968 the production of Glen Garioch was suspended on account of 'chronic water shortages'; however, in 1972 a manager was appointed with a brief to find another water source. A spring was discovered on a neighbouring farm. It came to be called ‘The Silent Spring’ as it could neither be seen nor heard.
Today, the distillery is under the Japanese Suntory ownership. Glen Garioch currently runs at three quarters of capacity, producing around 700,000 litres per annum and selling roughly one third of this yearly, much being exported for the Asian market. There are several house bottlings, as well as a few exotic finishes and a handful of independent expressions.Show more