Ballindalloch Distillery, hailed as Scotland’s first single estate distillery, holds a unique place in whisky history. Situated on the grounds of Ballindalloch Castle, built in 1546, the distillery marks the Macpherson-Grant family’s return to the distilling industry. The family’s whisky history dates back to 1869 when they leased part of the Ballindalloch estate to John Smith to build the Cragganmore Distillery. After a long association with Cragganmore, the family sold their stake in 1965 but returned to whisky in 2011, when Guy Macpherson-Grant, the 23rd generation of his family, began constructing Ballindalloch Distillery.
The distillery’s production is based on a single estate model, using barley grown on the estate’s fields and feeding the resulting draff to their award-winning Aberdeen Angus cattle. While still relatively new, with production officially starting in late 2014, the distillery opened its doors in 2015 with a visit from the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay (Prince Charles and Camilla).
Ballindalloch’s new make is described as robust and fruity, and while it’s still in the early stages of maturation, it will develop additional characteristics as it ages in a variety of casks, including first and refill barrels, hogsheads, and Sherry butts. The Macpherson-Grants have committed to waiting at least eight years before bottling any whisky from Ballindalloch, but visitors to the distillery can sample private casks from the family’s previous involvement with Cragganmore.
This distillery’s picturesque setting within a historic castle and its commitment to a single estate operation make it a rare and special place in the whisky world.
