Miltonduff is a

Scotch whisky Scotch whisky (; sco, Scots whisky/whiskie, whusk(e)y; often simply called whisky or Scotch) is malt whisky or grain whisky (or a blend of the two), made in Scotland. All Scotch whisky was originally made from malted barley. Commercial distil ...

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 Miltonduff six miles south-west of Elgin in the whisky region of

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 ...

History

The distillery site 'Milton' was said to have been chosen because of the good quality of the local water source under the ownership of

Pluscarden Abbey Pluscarden Abbey is a Catholic Benedictine monastery in the glen of the Black Burn, southwest of Elgin, Moray, Scotland. It was founded in 1230 by Alexander II for the Valliscaulian Order. In 1454, following a merger with the priory of Urqu ...

; indeed, the distillery is the site of the Abbey's former mill. Milton became Miltonduff after the Duff family acquired the area and a distillery was built in 1824. In 1866, the distillery was acquired by William Stuart (owner of the

Highland Park Distillery Highland Park distillery is the second northernmost single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Scotland ( Kimbland Distillery on Sanday being 22 miles further north), located in Kirkwall on the Orkney Islands. History Highland Park distillery was f ...

and he eventually entered into business with Thomas Yool in 1890, when the distillery was expanded and reached production of over one million litres of alcohol. In 1936, Yool sold the distillery to

Hiram Walker Hiram Walker (July 4, 1816 – January 12, 1899) was an American entrepreneur and founder of the Hiram Walker and Sons Ltd. distillery in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Walker was born in East Douglas, Massachusetts, and moved to Detroit in 1838. He p ...

, which eventually passed in ownership to

Allied Distillers Allied Domecq PLC was an international company, headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom, that operated spirits, wine, and quick service restaurant businesses. It was once a FTSE 100 Index constituent but has been acquired by Pernod Ricard. They ...

. The distillery site was expanded with the construction of Allied Distillers' Malt Technical Centre, laboratory, engineering department and management offices. In 1960, the distillery was notable as the pioneer of a new method of heating the wash stills (through a series of heat exchanges and a diffuser). In 2005,

Pernod Ricard Pernod Ricard () is a French company best known for its anise-flavoured pastis apéritifs Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis (often referred to simply as ''Pernod'' or ''Ricard''). The world’s second-largest wine and spirits seller, it also produ ...

bought the distillery and it is now operated under their subsidiary

Chivas Brothers Chivas may refer to: * Chivas Regal, a blended Scotch whisky produced by Chivas Brothers *C.D. Guadalajara, commonly known as Chivas, a Mexican men's association football club based in Guadalajara, Jalisco *C.D. Guadalajara (women), commonly known ...

. In May 2022, Chivas Brothers announced that £88 million would be invested in the expansion of the distillery (together with

Aberlour distillery Aberlour is a distillery of Speyside single malt Scotch whisky, in Aberlour, Strathspey, Scotland, at the confluence of the Lour Burn and River Spey near Ben Rinnes. History James Fleming (1830-1895) was born and baptised on the first day of ...

). This is to include newer energy efficient production methods, incorporating Mechanical Vapour Recompression (MVR) fan technology. The new sustainable distillery is to be built adjacent to the current distillery by 2025.

Facilities

Bonded Warehouses at Miltonduff Distillery - geograph

The distillery has six stills and several warehouses for storage.

Products

The distillery has been a key production component of Ballantyne's blended whisky since 1936. While much of the production of Miltonduff is used in blends, the distillery has produced a single malt since 1964 named 'Mosstowie'.

References

{{Scottish Distilleries Scottish malt whisky Distilleries in Scotland