William Grant (19 December 1839 – 1923) was a
Scottish distiller
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 heating ...
and
entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...
who founded
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 the ...
, the manufacturer of
Glenfiddich
Glenfiddich () is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky produced by William Grant & Sons in the Scottish burgh of Dufftown in Moray. The name Glenfiddich derives from the Scottish Gaelic ''Gleann Fhiodhaich'' meaning "valley of the deer", which is ...
, as such, the first company in the world to market a true single malt whisky and a leading brand today.
Life
Grant was descended from
Clan Grant
Clan Grant is a Highland Scottish clan.
History
Origins
One theory is that the ancestors of the chiefs of Clan Grant came to Scotland with the Normans to England where the name is found soon after the conquest of that country, although some h ...
, which arrived in
Speyside Speyside can refer to:
* Speyside, Ontario, a settlement in Ontario
* Strathspey, Scotland, the famous whisky producing region by the River Spey
** Speyside single malts, the type of whisky produced in Strathspey
* Speyside, Trinidad and Tobago
...
after being rewarded with land for "services to the king". In 1745, three brothers fought in the Jacobite rebellion against Hanover. Alexander Grant survived the
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden (; gd, Blàr Chùil Lodair) was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745. On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force under Prince Wi ...
but had to flee to
Banffshire
Banffshire ; sco, Coontie o Banffshire; gd, Siorrachd Bhanbh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. It borders the Moray ...
where he was hidden by a clan chief.
Alexander Grant's great-grandson, William Grant, was born in 1839 in
Dufftown, Scotland. When he was seven he began herding the family cattle in the hills. He then worked as an apprentice shoemaker and a limeworks employee. He did, however, receive a good education. Consequently, in 1866 he became a bookkeeper at the local Distillery. He gained an appreciation for the production of whisky and became manager of the distillery, where he worked for 20 years. His wife, Elizabeth, had nine children.
Throughout this period of his life he saved money to set himself up as a distiller. In 1886, he quit his job, purchased the necessary land, materials and machines, and built the
Glenfiddich
Glenfiddich () is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky produced by William Grant & Sons in the Scottish burgh of Dufftown in Moray. The name Glenfiddich derives from the Scottish Gaelic ''Gleann Fhiodhaich'' meaning "valley of the deer", which is ...
Distillery with the help of his 9 children. On
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
day in 1887, his distillery began operation, pioneering single malt Scotch whisky. Until Glenfiddich only blended brands were common.
Glenfiddich whisky from
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 the ...
proved successful and so in 1892 he built a second distillery next door in Dufftown, known as the
Balvenie
The Balvenie distillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Dufftown, Scotland, owned by William Grant & Sons.
History
William Grant was born on 19 December 1839 in his father's house in Dufftown. At seven he began herding ...
Distillery. His daughter Isabella married Charles Gordon, who became the company's first salesman. In 1909, Charles Gordon began travelling to export Glenfiddich around the world. By 1914, he had established distribution networks in 30 countries, and today the company exports to 180 countries.
Death
William Grant died in 1923. In the 2008
Sunday Times Rich List
The ''Sunday Times Rich List'' is a list of the 1,000 wealthiest people or families resident in the United Kingdom ranked by net wealth. The list is updated annually in April and published as a magazine supplement by British national Sunday news ...
, his family were ranked 86th richest in the UK, and 3rd richest in Scotland. In the
Sunday Times Rich List 2013
The ''Sunday Times'' Rich List 2013 is the 25th annual survey of the wealthiest people resident in the United Kingdom, published by ''The Sunday Times (UK), The Sunday Times'' on 21 April 2013.
''The Guardian'' noted that "the annual rich list i ...
, the Grant and Gordon family were listed as the second richest family in Scotland.
His grandson
William Grant, Lord Grant
William Grant, Lord Grant, (19 June 1909 – 19 November 1972) was a Scottish advocate, a Unionist politician, and a judge. Born to the Grant's distillery family who created Glenfiddich whisky, he was one of Scotland's Great Officers of State ...
(1909–1972) was an
advocate
An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...
who served as
Solicitor General for Scotland
, body =
, insignia = Crest of the Kingdom of Scotland.svg
, insigniasize = 110px
, image = File:Official Portrait of Ruth Charteris QC.png
, incumbent = Ruth Charteris KC
, incumbentsince = 22 June 2021
, department = Crown Office and ...
,
Lord Advocate
, body =
, insignia = Crest of the Kingdom of Scotland.svg
, insigniasize = 110px
, image = File:Official Portrait of Dorothy Bain QC.png
, incumbent = Dorothy Bain KC
, incumbentsince = 22 June 2021
, appointer = Monarch on the advice ...
, and
Lord Justice Clerk
The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session.
Originally ''clericus justiciarie'' or Clerk to the Court of Justiciary, the counterpart in the criminal courts of the Lord ...
from 1962 to 1972.
Supercentenarian granddaughter
His granddaughter was a woman named Janet Roberts (née Gordon; 13 August 1901 - 6 April 2012) who lived to be
supercentenarian
A supercentenarian (sometimes hyphenated as super-centenarian) is a person who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in 1,000 centenarians. Supercentenarians typically live a life free of major age-related diseases u ...
. Bottles of whisky were produced in her honour to mark her 100th, 105th, 107th and 110th birthdays. She died in her home at the advanced age of 110. She was the oldest living person in Scotland.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, William
1839 births
1923 deaths
Scottish businesspeople
William Grant & Sons people