The Glenlivet

United Kingdom, Scotland Founded in 1824
George Smith was running an illegal still on the estate of the Duke of Gordon in the wee early 1800’s. The good old Duke ... ahem ... may or may not have been aware of the illicit operation in exchange for a personal supply. When the Duke helped sponsor legislation in 1823 that made Whiskey distilling legal in the UK, it just so happens that George Smith was the first one granted a license. Now legal and above board, he naturally named his “new” business after the local parish—Glenlivet.

Today Glenlivet is one of the “Big Three” single malt producers, being #1 in the United States and #2 worldwide. Their Whiskies are officially “Speyside,” meaning that they are Highland malts produced along the river Spey, and the water for the Whisky mash comes somewhat famously from “Josie’s Well.”

Glenlivet produces Whiskies in a variety of ages and wood-matured combinations, and the remaining Spirit not bottled as part of their Glenlivet lineup is considered an indispensable component in some of the most famous blends.
What does Glenlivet mean? Glenlivet actually refers to the name of the glen in the Scottish Highlands where the river livet flows. The river joins one of the main tributaries of the River Spey. The Glenlivet is the oldest legal distillery in the region of Glenlivet, and the production place of the Scottish whisky of the same name.
The Glenlivet Flavor Spiraltm
  • oak
  • spicy
  • honey
  • sweet vanilla
  • vanilla
  • sweet
  • smoky
  • pear
  • green apple
Visit The Glenlivet shop Shop The Glenlivet gift sets
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The Glenlivet Distillery
The USA is buying half of the bottles from The Glenlivet Distillery, which are single malts.
The Glenlivet Distillery
Bottles from 1970s and 1980s having the Glenlivet name on them, are not always from The Glenlivet Distillery, it could possibly only be referring to the area.
The Glenlivet Distillery
In Holland, The Glenlivet has adopted the slogan 'Discover the single malt that started it all'.

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The Glenlivet distillery lies near the valley of the Livet river, in Speyside. It was founded in 1824, by George Smith who rented property from the Duke of Richmond & Gordon. He profited from the new laws concerning Whisky production licenses.

Glenlivet distillery became the first licensed distillery in Scotland. Business went very well during the next several years, and Smith bought 4 more farms and built more distilleries. In 1871, Smith passed away, leaving behind a very successful career, and his son John Gordon, who took over management.

John had to deal with other distilleries calling themselves Glenlivet. In 1880, he managed to get the rights of the name 'The Glenlivet'. In 1890, a fire destroyed the distillery, but a resilient John Gordon took advantage of this misfortune, and expanded the distillery.

Up until the 1970s, the distillery had been passed on to the next generations. But after Seagrams bought The Glenlivet Distillers Ltd. in 1978, this trend ended. In 2001, Pernod Ricard took over management, after buying Seagrams.

The Glenlivet Distillery uses the water from Josie’s Well. They use a modern mash tun with wooden washbacks, and have 14 stills of different sizes.

After the decommissioning of floor malting in 1966, Crisp Maltings in Portgordon provided the maltings for the distillery. Warehouses of The Glenlivet distillery can hold up to 65,000 casks of Whisky.
Distillery info:
  • Country United Kingdom, Scotland
  • Region Speyside
  • Established 1824
  • Owner Pernod Ricard
  • Type Single malt
  • No. of stills 14
  • Visitor center Yes
  • Status Active
  • Address The Glenlivet Distillery, Glenlivet, Moray AB37 9DB United Kingdom
  • Phone +44 1340 821720
  • Websitehttps://www.theglenlivet.com
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The Glenlivet video
A transcript for non-audio situations Knowing very well that every flourishing distillery is only as reliable as its water source, George Smith built the Glenlivet distillery close to Josie's Well, a natural spring who's mystery matches that of the dark Glenlivet earth from which it bubbles. Winter snow and rain still feed the cascading river livet in the Scottish islands. Its crystal clear water makes its underground journey through mineral rich layers before emerging from the mouth of Josie's Well. Not to be mistaken with a mere trickle, an astounding 3,500 gallons per hour bubble out of the dark earth destined for the distillery. The water is cold, between 5 and 8 degrees, an ideal temperature for easily extracting sugar from the malt. Josie's Well, unchanging and inexhaustible, helps make the Glenlivet what it is, Whisky of exceptional quality that define the taste of the Speyside region. An exceptional single malt begins with a pure water source.