Knockando distillery is a
single malt Scotch whisky distillery, located in
Knockando, Moray, in the
Strathspey whisky-producing area of
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
.
Knockando Distillery is named after the village in which it stands. The name derives from
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...
''Cnoc Cheannachd'', meaning "Hill of Commerce".
The village is home to a few other small houses and the larger Knockando House, and is surrounded by woods in which there are
buzzards, Red Squirrel and Roe Deer.
History
Knockando Distillery was built by John Tytler Thomson in 1898.
In 1904 the distillery was purchased by W & A Gilbey, a
gin producer from London.
Knockando was the first distillery in Scotland to be built with electric lighting. In 1905 it was linked directly to the
Great North of Scotland Railway, which connected
Grantown-on-Spey
Grantown-on-Spey () is a town in the Highland Council Area, Counties of Scotland, historically within the county of Moray. It is located on a low plateau at Freuchie beside the river Spey at the northern edge of the Cairngorms, Cairngorm mounta ...
with the main towns of north-east Scotland. Cottages for distillery workers were built nearby, as well as a house for the
Customs and Excise Officer.
In 1962, W&A Gilbey merged with United Wine Traders to form
International Distillers and Vintners.
International Distillers and Vintners become part of
Grand Metropolitan in the 1970's.
In 1997, with the merger of
Guinness plc and Grand Metropolitan, Knockando distillery become part of the new company,
Diageo
Diageo plc ( ) is a British Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It is a major distributor of Scotch whisky and other spirits and operates from 132 sites around the world ...
.
Location
The distillery currently lies near the disused Dalbeallie Station, which is closer to the Tamdhu distillery. The railway has long since been dismantled, and now forms part of the Speyside Way long-distance walk. The old station has been renamed Tamdhu station, as the buildings are used by the distillery for meetings. Tamdhu was never named station the original line.
Production
Knockando Distillery is home to a famous selection of casks which went into the J&B Ultima blend in 1994 to celebrate the quincentenary of Scotch whisky. This blend contained 128 different whiskies (116 Malt & 12 Grain) and 1 of each of these casks is still maturing in the Warehouse.
References
External links
Listing at whisky.com
{{Scottish Distilleries
Diageo
Distilleries in Scotland
Speyside area distilleries
Scottish malt whisky
1898 establishments in Scotland
Food and drink companies established in 1898
British companies established in 1898