Glenturret Distillery, known for its farm origins and rustic whisky-making approach, is one of Scotland’s smallest distilleries. Despite the simplicity of its operations—such as a mash tun that holds only a tonne of grist, wooden washbacks, and slightly rudimentary stills—the spirit produced is light, acidic, and intense. The distillery also produces some heavily peated malt called Ruadh Mhor, which was previously used in The Famous Grouse Smoky Black under its former owner, Edrington.
The history of Glenturret is a fascinating one, marked by its claim to be Scotland’s oldest distillery, though this assertion is somewhat debated. The site is believed to have been the location of an illicit still, known as The Hosh, dating back to the 1770s. Licensed distilling at the location only began in 1818 when John Drummond started producing whisky. The distillery struggled in the 19th century but managed to survive, eventually adopting the name Glenturret in 1875 after the nearby distillery of the same name had closed.
The 1920s proved challenging for Glenturret, leading to its dismantling in 1928. However, in the late 1950s, James Fairlie revitalized the distillery by purchasing stills and equipment from Tullibardine Distillery and reopening Glenturret in 1960. This timing coincided with the resurgence of whisky demand, and Fairlie and his son Peter saw an opportunity in whisky tourism, opening a visitor center—one of the first distilleries to do so.
Glenturret was part of the Rémy Cointreau group from 1981 to 1993 before being acquired by Highland Distillers (later part of Edrington). In 2002, Edrington transformed the distillery’s visitor center into The Famous Grouse Experience, a popular tourist attraction. However, in June 2018, Edrington announced that Glenturret, along with Cutty Sark, was up for sale. Six months later, it was acquired by Glenturret Holding, a joint venture between luxury goods business Lalique Group and Swiss entrepreneur Hansjörg Wyss. This marked the end of The Famous Grouse Experience in its original form.
Despite its long history, Glenturret has rarely released single malt bottlings. There was a short-lived attempt in 2015 to introduce a range of three whiskies, but it was not successful. Under the new ownership, plans were made to launch a new range of single malts in 2020, led by former Macallan team members Bob Dalgarno (master blender) and Ken Grier (strategic consultant).
