Girvan distillery is a lowland

grain whisky Grain whisky normally refers to any whisky made, at least in part, from grains other than malted barley. Frequently used grains include maize, wheat, and rye. Grain whiskies usually contain some malted barley to provide enzymes needed for mashi ...

distillery Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heati ...

located in

South Ayrshire South Ayrshire ( sco, Sooth Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir a Deas, ) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire. On 30 June 2 ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. The distillery is owned by

William Grant & Sons William Grant & Sons Ltd is an independent, family-owned Scottish company that distills Scotch whisky and other selected categories of spirits. It was established in 1887 by William Grant, and is run by Grant's descendants as of 2018. It is th ...

. The Girvan Distillery is one of the largest facilities in

in which

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden c ...

is made. The distillery is named after the town of

Girvan Girvan ( gd, Inbhir Gharbhain, "mouth of the River Girvan") is a burgh and harbour town in Carrick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Girvan is situated on the east coast of the Firth of Clyde, with a population of about 6,450. It lies south of Ayr, ...

. The distillery is known as one of the most energy efficient distilleries in Scotland.

History

Girvan distillery was built in 1963 with the installation of its first

Coffey still A column still, also called a continuous still, patent still or Coffey still is a variety of still consisting of two columns. Column stills can produce rectified spirit (95% ABV). Description The first column (called the analyzer) in a column s ...

in 1963, which was celebrated with their first official bottling. The reason for William Grant & Sons building the distillery was because of a quarrel between the Grant family and DCL. Under the close eye of Charles Grant Gordon, the Girvan distillery was built and producing alcohol within nine months of ground break. The company introduced its

export An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is an ...

single

, Black Barrel in 1985 to the

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

markets. Ladyburn operated as a single malt distillery on site from 1965 until 1975.

Ailsa Bay

Since 2007, the site has also incorporated the Ailsa Bay distillery. The opening was attended by

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

in 2009.

Hendrick's Gin

The distillery also produces

Hendrick's Gin Hendrick's Gin is a brand of gin produced by William Grant & Sons at the Girvan distillery, Scotland, and launched in 1999. The brand was created by spirits marketer Steven Grasse, while the gin itself was conceived by Lesley Gracie, a Yorkshi ...

. This uses not only the traditional juniper infusion, but also cucumber and Bulgarian rose. It won the 2003 ''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' award for the "Best All Around Gin".

Girvan facts

*Blends contributed to: Grant's, Clan MacGregor *Capacity (million litres per annum): 115 MLPA *Cook time: 45 minutes *Distillation system: multi-pressure *Fermentation time: 60 hours *Filling strength: 69%, 74%, 80% *Grain type: wheat *Malted barley percentage: 8.5% *New-make strength: 94.5% *Water source: River Girvan *Columns: six columns

References

External links

Official Distillery Website
{{coord, 55.2618, N, 4.8335, W, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:GB, display=title Distilleries in Scotland Scottish malt whisky 1963 establishments in Scotland Scottish brands William Grant & Sons