A Bit of History
Glenturret was established in 1775 by a group of local farmers and was named Hosh Distillery. They took over farm buildings at Hosh Farm for production, which is located outside of Crieff in Perthshire. It would not officially become named as Glenturret for another century. Thomas Stewart became owner in 1875 and switched the name.
The 20th century saw several ownership changes and periods of closure following World War I, most significantly a 30-year period between 1929 and1959. Notable owners include Mitchell Bros Ltd. (who took control in 1903), James Fairlie (1957), Remy Cointreau (1981) and Highland Distillers (1990).
Stability was achieved once The Edrington Group and William Grant & Sons purchased Highland Distillers in 1999. The venture saw Edrington hold a majority stake of 70%. The distillery was acquired to secure consistent stock of its malt for The Famous Grouse blend. In 2002 they opened The Famous Grouse Experience at the distillery and made Glenturret the spiritual brand home.
Glenturret’s recent single malt renaissance has happened since The Lalique Group, the famous jewellery and crystal glassware company, took control in 2019. They quickly set about re-establishing Glenturret as a single malt brand. This included creating a new core range, redesigning packaging and revamping the visitor centre with the link to The Famous Grouse cut. They have also opened a Michelin starred restaurant on site.
Background
Glenturret is known for its robust and malty style of single malt spirit. Notes of earthy cereals combine with green apple, tropical fruits, toffee and white pepper. The core range consists of six single malts released on an annual basis. This concept was launched in 2020 by The Lalique Group. Each year the expressions remain the same, but the whiskies are different.
The no age statement Triple Wood sits alongside the 10-year-old Peat Smoked and age statements at 12, 15, 25 and 30 years old. All featured marriages of American and European oak, with ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks featuring heavily. Other special single cask or small batch release bottlings are available on occasion.
This is a change of strategy by The Lalique Group. The Glenturret was heavily used as a key ingredient by blended Scotch brands, most notably The Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark.
The Geeky Bit
Glenturret is a small distillery with a capacity of 500,000 litres per year, although current levels sit around 315,000 litres. It is one of the few places that maintains traditional handcrafted practices and operates as a farm distillery. Glenturret has a 1.8-ton stainless steel mash tun and they run 10 mashes per week.
There are eight Douglas Fir wooden washbacks that run a long fermentation time of 120 hours. This help to develop extra tropical and fruity characteristics. There is just a single pair of stills – one wash still and one spirit still. A small part of the year is dedicated to smoky whisky production and uses malt dried with local Highland peat.
One To Buy | The Glenturret 14 Years Old Peat Smoked (2024 Release)
This small batch single malt features a marriage of peated and unpeated spirit. These have undergone maturation in first-fill European oak ex-sherry casks and re-fill ex-bourbon barrels. The combination gives with whisky an elegant smoky backbone, which is softer, sweeter and gentler than an Islay peated whisky. Expect notes of lemon drizzle cake, robust malted cereals and vanilla sitting alongside dark dried fruits, baking spices and an intricate wisp of ashy smoke.
