Abbot's Choice
In the 1960s ceramic monks filled with Scotch sold as far afield as Peru.
Strathmill
Distillery & brand
Light in character, Strathmill uses a long fermentation regime to help create fruitiness.
Strathmill distillery
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The distillery’s main production quirk comes in the form of a purifier pipe running from the lyne arm into the body of the spirit stills.
Like Glenlossie and Glen Spey, this adds a lightly oily character to the new make, here picked up almost as olive oil which mixes well with the lightly fruity/grassy notes.
Strathmill History
Thanks to the River Isla, Keith has a long history of milling, both for meal and weaving (the town still has a kilt museum). Two of those old mill sites have since been converted to distilleries, Glen Keith and Strathmill.
Built in 1892, it was originally called Glenisla (with -Glenlivet suffixed). Its original owners sold it in 1895 to W&A Gilbey which was by then building its holdings in Scotch [see Glen Spey, Knockando]. As Gilbey moved through various incarnations so Strathmill became an integral part of the J&B family.
Its only official release is as part of the Flora & Fauna range.
Timeline
- 1892 The distillery is founded as Glenisla-Glenlivet and begins its first production run
- 1895 English gin company, W&A Gilbey, purchases the distillery for £9,500 and renames it Strathmill
- 1962 W&A Gilbey merges with United Wine Traders to form International Distillers and Vintners (IDV)
- 1968 Strathmill's stills are doubled to four and purifiers are installed
- 1972 Watney Mann purchases IDV, which itself is acquired by Grand Metropolitan in the same year
- 1993 The first single malt bottling of Strathmill since 1909 appears as an Oddbins release
- 1997 Grand Metropolitan merges with Guinness to form Diageo
- 2001 The first official bottling of Strathmill appears in the Flora & Fauna series as a 12-year-old
- 2014 A 25-year-old is released as part of Diageo's Special Releases
Strathmill Facts
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- Condenser Type i
- Shell and tube
-
- Fermentation Time i
- Minimum 60hrs
-
- Filling Strength i
- 63.5%
-
- Grist Weight (t) i
- 9.1
-
- Heat Source i
- Steam
-
- Malt Specification i
- Non peated
-
- Malt Supplier i
- Mainly in house
-
- Mash Tun Type i
- Lauter
-
- New-make Phenol Level i
- Non peaty
-
- New-make Strength i
- 72%
-
- Spirit Still Charge (l) i
- 6,000
-
- Spirit Still Shape i
- Ball
-
- Stills i
- 4
-
- Wash Still Charge (l) i
- 10,700
-
- Wash Still Shape i
- Ball
-
- Washback Type i
- Steel
-
- Washbacks i
- 6
-
- Water Source i
- Spring within distillery
-
- Wort Clarity i
- Clear
-
- Yeast Type i
- Pressed
Owners
Current owner
- Diageo 1997 - present
Previous owners
- Grand Metropolitan 1972 - 1997
- International Distillers & Vintners 1962 - 1972
- W&A Gilbey 1895 - 1962
- Glenisla-Glenlivet Distillery 1892 - 1895
Contact
- Address
-
Strathmill Distillery
Keith
Moray
AB55 5DQ
United Kingdom - Phone
- +44 1542 883000
- Visitor Opening Hours
- Not open to the public
Map
See also
-
Brand
-
Brand
Benmore
A long established blend from an old Glasgow whisky firm, that is still popular in Asia.
-
Brand
Bulloch Lade
A popular 20th century blend named after one of the great Glasgow whisky firms – Bulloch Lade.
-
Brand
Chequers
A sister brand to Abbot’s Choice, Chequers was an occasional deluxe blend from John McEwan & Co.