Macduff distillery
Contents
The Macduff Distillery is located in the coastal town of the same name in the Eastern Highlands, where the Deveron River flows into the North Sea.
Production
The water for production is supplied from nearby sources such as the Gelly spring. The malt is delivered and is partially peated. It is worth mentioning the tube-shaped, horizontally arranged condensers which enable intensive copper contact. The asymmetrical arrangement of the stills is also unusual. Apart from Macduff, only Talisker has an uneven number of stills. Macduff’s malts were previously marketed as Glen Deveron and now as The Deveron.
Only the independent bottlings, which are by far the majority, appear under the original distillery name. The majority of Macduff’s malt, around 90% is said, goes into various blends. The Dewars Blends, Lauder’s and William Lawson are among the best known of these.
History
The Macduff Distillery Company was founded in 1960 by Marty Dyke, George Crawford, James Stirrat and Brodie Hepburn. Just two years later, the two stills become three and another three years later, four stills. In 1972 the still is sold by the Glendeveron Distillers to William Lawson Distillers. In 1990 another still is installed, the number increased to five. In 1993 Bacardi bought the Martini Rossi Group, which also includes the Macduff distillery.
Macduff factsheet
| Name | Pronounced | AKA | Region | Country of Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macduff | Macduff distillery | Highlands | Scotland | |
| Status | Active | Whisky Type | Website | Tours Available |
| Active | 1960 - Present | Malt | Macduff | Not Available |
| Manager | Distiller | Blender | Owned by | Parent Group |
| Stephanie Macleod | John Dewar & Sons Ltd |
Macduff Timeline:
1962-63: Built by a consortium which included George Crawford, Brodie Hepburn, and Morty Dykes
....: Operated as Glen Devron Distillers Ltd.
1966: Bought by Block, Grey & Block (Leslie Kaufman)
1966: Extended from two to three stills
between 1966 and 1969: Stanley P. Morrison Ltd. had an interest between 1966 and 1969
1968: Extended from three to four stills
1972: Acquired by William Lawson Distillers Ltd., part of the General Beverage Corporation, Luxembourg, which controls the world-wide interest of Martini & Rossi
1999: Owned by William Lawson (Bacardi)
2004: Owned by John Dewar & Sons Ltd.
Can I tour Macduff?
No, unfortunately Macduff distillery is not open to the public for tours