Whisky Guide > Distillery Profiles > Glen Elgin Distillery

Glen Elgin Distillery

Glen Elgin Distillery nestles quietly in the heart of Speyside. Situated 2 miles south of Elgin on the road to Rothes, it was the last distillery to be built during the boom years of the 1890s. The architect, Charles Doig, stated it would be the last one built in Speyside for 50 years. His prediction was remarkably accurate with Tormore being the next distillery built, in 1958.

Initially Glen Elgin did not have problems to seek. The owners, William Simpson, a former manager of Glenfarclas, and James Carle, an agent for the North of Scotland Bank, saw their investment of £13,000 plummet to £4,000 when they sold the distillery in 1901.The original site was chosen for its water source and close proximity to the railway line. Unfortunately the water source proved unreliable and permission for a railway siding was refused. The distillery soldiered on through several owners before becoming part of DCL in the 1930s. It was then licensed to White Horse Distillers Ltd.

Until the 1950s the distillery was entirely operated and lit by paraffin. All machinery was driven by a paraffin engine and a water turbine. It was a full time job to keep the paraffin lights burning.
Today, the distillery still proudly depicts the White Horse emblem and is part of UDV's "Elgin Group", along with Linkwood, Glenlossie and Mannochmore. The whisky is still a key component of White Horse blended whisky, which is exported to over 200 countries worldwide.

DEVELOPMENT

In walking around the distillery you are struck by the contrasts in old and new, big and small.

The distillery has a huge storage capacity for malted barley. The 36 malt bins can hold 400 tonnes - more than the 3 other distilleries in the Elgin group combined. However the ISR (intermediate spirit receiver) which collects the spirit from the stills is very small and has to be pumped empty 3 times a day.

Recent investment has seen a new full lauter mash tun installed, replacing the old traditional tun with its geared rakes. The mash is now continually sparged as opposed to adding separate waters. The worts however are transferred to traditional wooden wash backs for fermentation.
The distillery's floor maltings were decommissioned in the 1960's with the malt being supplied by large industrial maltings. However, worm tubs were retained for the cooling of the distillate.

Although the distillery has seen major refurbishment it retains the look and feel of a small, traditional distillery. There are no space-age computer panels and the highly-regarded whisky continues to be made with a hands-on approach.

THE STILLS AND WORMS

The Glen Elgin spirit and wash stills are similar in size and shape, although the spirit stills have a flatter pot. There is a gentle incline on the lyne arms which lead outside to the worm tubs.

The distillery operates a balanced distilling process: each wash back provides 6 individual charges for the wash stills; two wash distillations make up the charge for a spirit distillation. This makes for a busy shift in the still house with 9 separate still charges to be made.

Using worm tubs to cool the distilled vapours, as opposed to condensers, adds a depth and richness to the spirit. An added bonus are the fresh water shrimp which thrive in the tubs.

WHITE HORSE DISTILLERS LIMITED

The White Horse Cellar Inn which was situated in the Canongate district of Edinburgh, took its name from the white palfrey that carried Mary Queen of Scots to and from Holyrood Palace. It was the starting point of the Edinburgh to London stage - a journey that took 8 days, "if God permits", as the original notice put it.

Situated next to the Inn was the ancestral home of the Mackie family. Peter Mackie had worked for his uncle, James Logan, at Lagavulin Distillery before setting up his own company - Mackie & Co. Distillers Limited - in 1883. In 1890, after inheriting Lagavulin, Mackie built a second distillery in the village of Craigellachie in Speyside. A third was added in 1920 when Hazelburn Distillery in Campbeltown was purchased. This however, was only a short term affair, with the distillery being closed in 1925.

Peter Mackie recognised the importance of a standard blended whisky and marketing it accordingly. In 1890 the "White Horse" trade mark was first registered in the UK. At the time the name was seen as highly innovative as most whiskies were being sold under their founder's name, for example, "Haigs", "Dewars", "Ballantines" and "Johnnie Walker".

Mackie was knighted for his contribution to the whisky industry. He was a believer in maturing whiskies for longer than usual and it was White Horse that pioneered the screw cap closure. He was once described as "one-third genius, one-third megalomaniac and one-third eccentric".

Sir Peter Mackie died in 1924 and his company adopted the name "White Horse Distillers Limited". Three years later it became part of the Distillers Company Limited (DCL).

CHANGING HANDS
1900 - 1st May, production starts but only lasts for 5 months.
1901 - Distillery is sold for £4,000 to an anonymous buyer.
1902 - Glen Elgin-Glenlivet Distillery Co. Ltd acquires the property and production restarts. By 1905 the distillery was silent again.
1906 - Glasgow distiller & blender JJ Blanche purchases the distillery for £7000 and production starts once more.
1936 - Distillery sold to DCL. Licensed to White Horse Distillers Ltd.
1964 - Mash-house, tunroom and stillhouse rebuilt and re-equipped. Number of stills increased to six. Floor maltings de-commissioned.

Distillery Statistics
Malting Capacity: Nil.
Malt Source: UDV Maltings
Malt Type: Derkado - lightly peated.
Malt Storage: 400 tonnes
Mill Type: Boby
Grist Storage: 10 tonnes
Mash Tun Construction: Stainless steel - full lauter (Steinker blades)
Mash Size: 8.2 tonnes
No. of Wash Backs: 6
Wash Back Construction:Larch
Wash Back Capacity: 40,600 litres
Yeast: Distillers
No. of Wash Stills: 3
Wash Still Charge: 6,800 litres
Heat Source: Steam kettles
Wash Still Shape: Onion shaped
No. of Spirit Stills: 3
Spirit Still Charge: 8,100 litres.
Heat Source: Steam coils
Spirit Still Shape: Onion shaped
Cask Storage Capacity: 3 Dunnage warehouses - 5000 casks
Current Annual
Distillery Output: 1.8 million litres of alcohol.
Water Source: Milbuies

(Visited May 2001)