The Glenlivet has come a very long way from its illicit origins on a Speyside farm to its current status as one of the world’s best-selling single malt Scotch whiskies. Good reason, then, to celebrate its 200th anniversary extravagantly this year.
The Glenlivet was the first distillery in the area to be granted a licence in the wake of the highly influential 1823 Excise Act, which came into being as a result of the high levels of illicit distillation being practised in Scotland, particularly in more inaccessible parts of the Highlands where detection by the government’s revenue officers was unlikely.
By the early 1820s as many as 14,000 illicit stills were being seized by government officials each year, and it was estimated that more than half the whisky consumed in Scotland had been illegally produced. In 1822 alone there were no fewer than 6,278 prosecutions for illicit distilling, and this was clearly just the tip of a vast whisky iceberg.
The Excise Act encouraged legal distillation by cutting duty to 2s 5d (12 pence) per gallon, a historic reduction of more than 50 per cent, while a minimum still size of 40 gallons was sanctioned and a licence fee of £10 per annum was introduced.
Whisky distilled illicitly in the remote Glenlivet area of north-east Scotland already enjoyed a good public reputation, most famously in connection with King George IV’s visit to Scotland in 1822. Writing in Memoirs of a Highland Lady (1898), Elizabeth Grant of Rothiemurchus, the daughter of a Scottish member of parliament, recalled that, “Lord Conyngham, the Chamberlain, was looking everywhere for pure Glenlivet whisky; the King drank nothing else. It was not to be had out of the Highlands. My father sent word to me — I was the cellarer — to empty my pet bin, where was whisky long in wood, long in uncorked bottles, mild as milk, and the true contraband goût in it.”
Encouraged by the financially attractive terms of the Excise Act, Captain George Smith was persuaded to take out a licence to produce whisky in this renowned distilling area. The Smith family had been making spirit without the formality of a licence on their farm at Upper Drumin, just over a mile from the present Glenlivet distillery, since 1774, and their move to legality did not go down well with their illicit distilling neighbours. Some years later, Smith wrote that they threatened to “… burn the distillery to the ground, and me at the heart of it. The laird of Aberlour presented me with a pair of hair-trigger pistols worth ten guineas, and they were never out of my belt for ten years.”
Initially, Smith was distilling some 50 gallons (227 litres) of spirit per week, but his business flourished, and in 1840 he leased the Cairngorm distillery at Delnabo near Tomintoul and his son, William, took charge of the distillery at Upper Drumin. However, demand for Smith’s whisky outstripped supply, and in 1858 a new, significantly larger distillery named Glenlivet was established on the present Minmore site, with Upper Drumin and Cairngorm closing the following year.
Family ownership continued for almost a century, with George & JG Smith merging with J & J Grant, Glen Grant to form The Glenlivet & Glen Grant Distillers in 1953, and in 1972 the company joined Hill, Thomson & Co and Longmorn–Glenlivet Distilleries to create The Glenlivet Distillers.
1977 saw Seagram of Canada acquire The Glenlivet Distillers, and in 2001 The Glenlivet was one of the former Seagram assets purchased by Pernod Ricard subsidiary Chivas Brothers, for which it is now unquestionably the jewel in its Scotch whisky portfolio.
Today, the names of several Scotch whisky distilleries are preceded by the definite article, but The Glenlivet was the first, a situation that came about following an 1880 court case fought by owner John Gordon Smith. By that date, the reputation of the family’s whisky was so good that many other distilleries — often miles from the actual glen — were using its name in association with their products. Indeed, Glenlivet was jokingly referred to as ‘the longest glen in Scotland’. The result of the court case was that only Smith’s Glenlivet distillery was allowed to use the definite article in front of its name, while all other distillers had to use ‘Glenlivet’ as a hyphenated prefix or suffix.
The Glenlivet distillery has experienced several expansions to slake the global thirst for its whisky, and during the past few years, The Glenlivet and Glenfiddich have fought it out on the global stage to determine which is the world’s best-selling single malt. The pendulum has swung both ways, but in 2022 (according to that year’s Scotch Whisky Industry Review) The Glenlivet had the upper hand, selling more than 20 million bottles.
Chivas Brothers also has high-volume blends such as Ballantine’s and Chivas Regal in its stable, so it is hardly surprising that the output of the Glenlivet distillery has been increased so dramatically.
The first phase of expansion came in 2008/9 when a new £10 million production building was constructed next to the existing distillery. The additional production building was clad in local stone, and the stills were visible to visitors upon arrival.
Since its construction, however, another phase of expansion has seen the creation of an entirely new distilling venue. This takes total capacity to 21 million lpa courtesy of no fewer than 14 pairs of stills, a production volume matched only by Glenfiddich.
Reflecting on The Glenlivet’s achievements during the past 200 years, Jayne Murphy, Chivas Brothers’ malts marketing director, says, “From innovation in flavour and craftsmanship, which resulted in the world’s first whisky finished in Cognac casks, to redefining whisky consumption through The Glenlivet Capsule Collection and The Glenlivet Twist & Mix Cocktails, it has been at the forefront of pioneering initiatives.”
Murphy says there will be “a year of celebrations, innovations, and exclusive releases” to mark the bicentenary. This has so far included a commemorative edition of The Glenlivet 12 Years Old, a category-first launch in The Glenlivet Rum & Bourbon Fusion Cask Selection, and the ultra-rare Twelve Elements collection, which became the inaugural launch from the Whisky Exchange’s new blockchain-backed marketplace the Whisky Exchange Cabinet.
The Glenlivet 200 Year Anniversary Limited Edition 12 Years Old offers a new variation on the 12-year-old Glenlivet theme, matured in 100 per cent first-fill American oak casks with packaging artwork by Studio Berdi in Colombia.
Initially available in the US, the non-age statement Glenlivet Rum & Bourbon Fusion Cask Selection has been selectively finished in recrafted first-fill rum and American bourbon casks which have been dismantled and reassembled, with the ends of one cask being attached to the body of staves from another. Glenlivet cask expert Kevin Balmforth describes the process as “a category-first technique”.
Behind these new releases, The Glenlivet already offers a wide range of expressions. The core line-up comprises Founder’s Reserve (part matured in first-fill American oak casks), Caribbean Reserve (finished in rum casks), 12 Years Old (matured in American and European oak casks), 15 Years Old (part matured in French Limousin oak casks), 18 Years Old (matured in first- and second-fill American oak and ex-sherry casks), and Captain’s Reserve (finished in Cognac casks).
Beyond that range, there is Spectra (a collection of three “reinterpretations” of The Glenlivet’s house style), plus the limited-edition 12-year-old Illicit Still (non-chill filtered and bottled at 48% ABV), 30- and 33-year-old bottlings in the Cellar Collection, and a number of single cask bottlings ranging from 8 to 25 years of age.
Given the chance to celebrate The Glenlivet’s bicentenary at the distillery itself, the visitor experiences on offer will not disappoint. Designed by hospitality branding specialist Blacksheep and opened in 2021, the public spaces of the brand home take much of their inspiration from the Cairngorms National Park landscape in which the distillery is located, along with its colourful heritage. The Drawing Room Bar is a notably comfortable space offering whisky by the dram, cocktails, and bar snack pairings, while a fill-your-own-bottle option and distillery exclusives are available in the well-stocked retail areas.
There are three tour options, starting with the 90-minute 2024 The Original, which includes an “immersive visual experience” providing overall context and explanation of whisky making, followed by a tour of the distillery itself and a visit to Warehouse 1. Samples of 12- and 15-year-old spirit and distillery-exclusive drams are included.
The 75-minute Visionary experience includes a visit to The Glenlivet’s newest stillhouse — not previously open to the public — along with three single malt samples. The Reflection experience lasts two hours and includes a visit to a bonded warehouse, plus opportunities to sample whisky straight from the cask and try a selection of drams, including a rare ‘archive’ expression, in a private tasting room.
“To mark its bicentenary, The Glenlivet will continue to show its innovative spirit and set new standards of excellence for single malts over the next 200 years and beyond,” Murphy says. “As we reflect on the many incredible people across The Glenlivet’s storied history who have helped us reach this historic milestone, we extend a heartfelt invitation to everyone to join us in raising a dram.”
