Glenfiddich Single Malt Whisky

Glenfiddich is the biggest single malt brand in the world, but the distillery, located in Dufftown, had modest beginnings. Founded in 1886 with just £120 of capital by William Grant & Sons (who still own it to this day) the original equipment was not purpose built – their original stills were actually taken second hand from Cardhu distillery to cut costs. This is no longer a problem as the site has a capacity of 10million litres and is one of the few distilleries with its own bottling plant – appropriate considering they pioneered the release of distillery official bottlings.

The history of Glenfiddich provided a foundation for their success. During prohibition in the 1920s, they were one of the few distilleries to actually increase production, and major investments were made in the onsite infrastructure during the 1950s; including a cooperage which is still used to this day. Glenfiddich is widely regarded as a pioneer in marketing whisky, as they essentially created the ‘single malt’ category as a method of promoting whisky as a premium brand outside the UK. When they did this, in 1963, many people simply associated whisky with blends. Fittingly, Glenfiddich is now commonly suggested as a natural progression for single malt beginners who have enjoyed drinking blends.

The Glenfiddich brand is now the #1 selling single malt whisky in the world, and there are a huge range of different expressions available. Not only does it sell millions of bottles every year, but it has received multiple awards and is highly respected among the whisky community – a unique combination which continues to confirm its status as one the greatest distilleries in the world.