| Region of production: | Speyside |
| Distillery Location: | Rothes, Moray |
| Year Established: | 1879 |
Top Spirits Produced
- Core Range:
- 10, 12, 18, 25 Years Old
- Whisky Maker’s Cut
- Limited Releases:
- 1992 Lustau Cask #01, 1992 Beaucastel Cask #02, Halloween Edition
- Vintage: 1978, 1988, 1988 Second Edition, 1992 Second Edition, 1995, 1995 American Oak, 1998, 2001
- Reserve: Oldest, Bourbon Cask, John Ramsay, Minister’s, Manse Reserve, Peated Cask, Robur, Select, Ancestors’, Elders’, Sherry Cask, Vintage
- Classics: 1985, 1987
Average Total Production
- 5.6 million liters neutral spirit before aging
Summary
The Glenrothes was the vision of James Stuart, who joined with businessmen Robert Dick, William Grant, and John Cruickshank to form James Stuart & Co. and establish the distillery. But when a financial crisis hit in 1878, they ran out of money, and Stuart left the partnership. The funds came from a perhaps unlikely source, when Reverend William Sharp raised money from local leaders, knowing the work provided by the distillery would sustain his community. Glenrothes was completed in 1879 and renamed Glenrothes-Glenlivet in 1884. William Grant & Co., as the remaining owners called their company, merged in 1887 with Islay Distillery Co. to form Highland Distillers, which was purchased in 1999 by Edrington.
Style & Distillation Techniques
The Glenrothes gets its water from two natural springs, the Ardcanny and the Brauchhill. The distillery is home to especially tall stills with large boiling balls. These stills and their unusually slow distillation contribute to the resulting clean, elegant, and estery spirit. Glenrothes believes that each spirit reaches maturity independently, which is not always consistent with a specific time in barrel. The barrels are checked often as they age, and the spirits can be released as either Reserve or Vintage.
Producer Website: Glenrothes