Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Glenfiddich

Glenfiddich is one of three William Grant-owned whisky distilleries which sit in relatively close proximity to each other to the north of Dufftown, the spiritual heart of Speyside. Founded in 1886, by William Grant of Mortlach and Balvenie fame, the Glenfiddich distillery is currently one of but three distilleries to bottle on site and houses stills with a total yearly capacity of ten million litres. Furthermore, Glenfiddich matures its single-malt whisky in their onsite warehouses, which number forty-three and have a capacity of 800,000 casks. Malt is bought in, a proportion of this is made up of that malted at the neighbouring Balvenie distillery. 

Glenfiddich was the first distillery with a visitor centre, which receives 125,000 visitors per annum and underwent a £1.7 million rebuild in 2005. World famous, Glenfiddich is the number one top-selling single malt whisky not only in the UK, but also globally. Following the end of the Second World War and the resultant surge in whisky demand, Glenfiddich was a relatively small brand and faced hefty competition from the blended scotch brands which held a veritable monopoly on the market. 

Rather than competing directly, the Glenfiddich distillery concentrated on single malt sales and in 1963 became the first Scotch whisky to be marketed as such, flying proudly in the face of critics. The gamble paid off and eleven years later sixteen new stills were installed to cope with demand. The range is large and includes several cask finishes as well as a 2002-released 1937 vintage, of which there are just sixty-one bottles, each came with a recommended retail price of £10,000.
Glenfiddich Whisky Distillery

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