
Balmenach Distillery
Distillery
Founded in 1824
This facility sits right on the banks of the Spey River itself -- in the heart of Scotch Whisky Central in the Cromdale district.
James MacGregor organized a group of local farmers and small, illegal distillers in and around the town of Tomintoul to form Balmenach in 1824.The famous Excise Tax reform of 1823 had just occured, and James MacGregor's merry band became one of the first sanctioned distilleries thereafter.
Glenlivet bought them lock, stock, and literal barrels in 1897. Aside from maintenance, the distillery closed only during World War II when a large number of distilleries reserved resources for the war effort. Since then -- also like many of the distilleries in the area -- it has been bought, sold, traded, and sold again.
For all of its life, Balmenach has been a production house without its own core brand. But over the years, many independent bottlers and rebranders have issued Balmenach single malt special editions. Their capacity is estimated at a more than respectable 2 million liters per annum.
James MacGregor organized a group of local farmers and small, illegal distillers in and around the town of Tomintoul to form Balmenach in 1824.The famous Excise Tax reform of 1823 had just occured, and James MacGregor's merry band became one of the first sanctioned distilleries thereafter.
Glenlivet bought them lock, stock, and literal barrels in 1897. Aside from maintenance, the distillery closed only during World War II when a large number of distilleries reserved resources for the war effort. Since then -- also like many of the distilleries in the area -- it has been bought, sold, traded, and sold again.
For all of its life, Balmenach has been a production house without its own core brand. But over the years, many independent bottlers and rebranders have issued Balmenach single malt special editions. Their capacity is estimated at a more than respectable 2 million liters per annum.
Flavour Spiral™
About The Flavour Spiral
sherry
oak
spicy
smoky
port
beer
berries
sweet
honey
What does Balmenach taste like?
The Flavour Spiral™ shows the most common flavours that you'll taste in Balmenach Scotch. It's based on all Balmenach drinks in our large database and gives you a chance to taste Balmenach before actually tasting it.
We invented Flavour Spiral™ here at Flaviar to get all your senses involved in tasting drinks and, frankly, because we think that classic tasting notes are boring.
The Flavour Spiral™ shows the most common flavours that you'll taste in Balmenach Scotch. It's based on all Balmenach drinks in our large database and gives you a chance to taste Balmenach before actually tasting it.
We invented Flavour Spiral™ here at Flaviar to get all your senses involved in tasting drinks and, frankly, because we think that classic tasting notes are boring.
Distillery Details
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CountryUnited Kingdom, Scotland
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Region
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Established1824
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OwnerInver House
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TypeSingle malt
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Number of stills3 wash, 3 spirit
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Visitor centerNo
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StatusActive
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AddressBalmenach Rd, Cromdale, Grantown-on-Spey PH26 3PF, United Kingdom

Dog Dogson's
Smartass
Corner
Corner
The distillery sits at the base of a hill, where the Jacobites were defeated in the Battle of Cromdales in 1690.
About
Speyside
Glens a plenty, history in abundance - that's Speyside.
The most densely populated Whisky region in the world sits in a fertile valley of rivers and glens. Home to over half of Scotland’s distilleries, malts from these fifty or so Speyside distilleries are hard to summarize, as there's a lot of flavour variety.
One thing we can say is that they're known for being frugal with peat and lavish with nutty fruit flavours. Apple, pear, honey, vanilla and spice all have a part to play in the Speyside Whiskies. Speyside Whisky also knows its way around a Sherry cask.
The most densely populated Whisky region in the world sits in a fertile valley of rivers and glens. Home to over half of Scotland’s distilleries, malts from these fifty or so Speyside distilleries are hard to summarize, as there's a lot of flavour variety.
One thing we can say is that they're known for being frugal with peat and lavish with nutty fruit flavours. Apple, pear, honey, vanilla and spice all have a part to play in the Speyside Whiskies. Speyside Whisky also knows its way around a Sherry cask.


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