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The History Of The Craigellachie Distillery

Craigellachie distillery is located in Aberlour in Banffshire and takes its name from the words for Rocky Hill, referring to a cliff which looks over the Spey. It is in the heart of Scotland’s Speyside whisky-producing region.

Craigellachie village has long been a key hub in the history of whisky production and in 1863, the various rail lines from Keith in the east, Strathspey in the south-west, Dufftown to the south and Lossiemouth to the north all converged in the area to enable rail transport to take place between the key cities of Perth, Edinburgh and Glasgow, facilitating the production of whisky products in the region.

It was not until 1890, however, that the Craigellachie distillery was established. Built to have all of the latest conveniences, it was designed expressly to make lighter, fruitier whiskies than older distilleries. In fact, an early descriptor of the Craigellachie distillery even mentions pineapple as one of the most desirable aromas to be captured in its products.

The distillery’s owners were Alexander Edward, the Benrinnes lessee and Sir Peter Mackie, the owner of White Horse. Edward, although just 25 years of age at the time of the distillery’s construction, was also the owner of a local brickworks. He had also built a hotel and several villas in the expanding village. Over time, he would build Benromach, Dallas Dhu and Aultmore.

In 1900, Edward pulled out of the distillery operation so he could focus on his other projects and Craigellachie distillery remained in the sole ownership of White Horse. Craigellachie became the core malt in Mackie’s Old Gaelic and Old Smuggler brands and these were exceptionally successful in both South Africa and Australia.

When DCL merged with White Horse, Craigellachie became part of their brand and then in 1998, DCL merged with IDV and this led to the Monopolies Board forcing the company to sell some of the estate – John Dewar And Sons together with 5 other distilleries. Craigellachie was one of these. Bacardi bought the distillery and owns it to this day.

Throughout its history, only a few official bottlings have ever been released by the Craigellachie distillery. Although most of its products are used in Dewars blending whisky products, in 2014, a 13-year-old, a 17-year-old, a limited edition 23-year-old and a travel retail 19-year-old exclusive were released under the Last Great Malts of Scotland Dewar and Sons range.