Glenburgie, known for its fragrant, sweet, slightly grassy character with a hint of oiliness, is predominantly used for blending, especially in the Ballantine’s blend, where it plays a crucial role. Due to Ballantine’s status as the second-largest-selling whisky globally, Glenburgie’s releases as a single malt are rare, with sightings as infrequent as the Loch Ness monster. It was only bottled once by Allied and has been included in Chivas Brothers’ limited edition Cask Strength series, available only at the company’s distillery visitor centers. Independent bottlings are occasional, and Glenburgie is sometimes seen in Gordon & MacPhail’s range. However, in July 2017, Glenburgie was released as a 15-year-old single malt under the Ballantine’s brand, alongside expressions from Glentauchers and Miltonduff.
The distillery’s history dates back to 1829, when it was built near Forres by William Paul. Over the years, it underwent several changes in ownership, eventually becoming part of the estate of James & George Stodart, the owners of the Old Smuggler blend, although they never produced whisky at the site. In 1936, Hiram Walker, the Canadian company, purchased Stodart and Miltonduff, solidifying Glenburgie’s association with Ballantine’s.
From 1958 to 1981, Glenburgie used Lomond stills, which produced a malt known as Glencraig. In 2004, the distillery was demolished and replaced with a new, larger open-plan facility, which included a third pair of stills. Since 2005, Glenburgie has been part of Chivas Brothers.
