Balmenach distillery was established in 1824 by James McGregor, from a family of farmers and illicit distillers who resided in
Tomintoul
Tomintoul (; from gd, Tom an t-Sabhail, meaning "Hillock of the Barn") is a village in the Moray council area of Scotland in the historic county of Banffshire.
Within Cairngorms National Park, the village lies close to the banks of the River ...
.
History
Situated in the district of
Cromdale
Cromdale ( gd, Cromdhail, from ''crom'' 'crooked' and ''dal'' 'valley, dale') is a village in Strathspey, in the Highland council area of Scotland, and one of the ancient parishes which formed the combined ecclesiastical (later civil) parish ...
on the banks of the
River Spey
The River Spey (Scottish Gaelic: Uisge Spè) is a river in the northeast of Scotland. At it is the eighth longest river in the United Kingdom, as well as the second longest and fastest-flowing river in Scotland. It is important for salmon fishi ...
the distillery stands in beneath the nearby hill of Tom Lethendry where the Jacobites were defeated in the
Battle of Cromdale
The Battle of Cromdale took place at the Haughs of Cromdale on 30 April and 1 May 1690. The site is on a hillside near the village of Cromdale, then in Inverness-shire and now in the Highland council area. The battlefield has been included in t ...
in 1690.
Balmenach Distillery is one of the earliest distilleries sanctioned as a result of the
Excise Act 1823. In 1897 the distillery was purchased by Glenlivet
[Atterbury, Paul (2009). ''All Change!'' Basingstoke : AA Publishing. . p. 240.] and was served by its own railway branch off the
Strathspey Railway until 1969. The distillery closed in 1941 and re-opened in 1947, following expansion of its facilities.
The Distillery is owned by
Inver House Distillers Limited, a privately owned distiller whose other distilleries include:
Speyburn-Glenlivet Distillery
Speyburn distillery in Rothes, Moray, Scotland, was founded in 1897 by John Hopkins & Company for the sum of £17,000. The site was chosen by John Hopkins himself for its unpolluted water supply from the Granty Burn, a minor tributary of the Riv ...
;
Knockdhu Distillery;
Balblair Distillery; and,
Old Pulteney Distillery.
See also
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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 ...
*
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 ...
*
List of whisky brands
*
List of distilleries in Scotland
This is an incomplete list of whisky distilleries in Scotland. According to the Scotch Whisky Association there were 138 distilleries licensed to produce Scotch whisky in the calendar year 2020.
Currently operating distilleries
Malt whisky di ...
References
External links
Balmenach official website.Inver House Distillers Limited, Corporate Website
1824 establishments in Scotland
Scottish malt whisky
Distilleries in Scotland
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