1823 was a pivotal year for Scotch whisky. That was the year the House of Lords passed the Excise Act, which has shaped a lot of the whisky we drink today. Taxes on whisky, first introduced in 1644, gave rise to illicit distilling and smuggling in Scotland. The Scotch Whisky Association says that over 14,000 illicit stills were confiscated every year by the 1820s. (In fact, the National Trust of Scotland regularly excavates several of these stills that were set up in remote locations and restores them as part of the country’s cultural heritage.)
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The Excise Act created a regulated framework for whisky production and encouraged distillers to produce whisky legally. Several distilleries sprang up in Scotland the next year, but it is the global whisky giant The Glenlivet that holds the distinction of being the first officially licenced distillery in the country. Late last month, 200 years after its founder George Smith went legit, I travelled to Moray, in Scotland, to participate in the festivities associated with its bicentennial.
Malt whisky country
Moray, perched on the northeastern trip of Scotland, is reputed to have many delights. The region’s tourism department recommends having Cullen Skink, a soup made with smoked haddock, potatoes and cream; or walking along the rugged coastline. One could also hope to land a big salmon in the River Spey, one of the big four salmon rivers in the country, or visit nearby Inverness, where Macbeth murdered King Duncan and began his descent into madness.
Moray, located between Inverness and Aberdeen, is also malt whisky country. Over half of Scotland’s whisky distilleries — nearly 50 of them — can be found in and around Moray-Speyside, and that includes my host, Glenlivet, which has come to be known as the archetypal Speyside whisky.
Owned by Chivas Brothers, Pernod Ricard’s dedicated Scotch business, Glenlivet sells over 20 million bottles annually. It has been the largest-selling scotch single malt brand in the United States for over four decades, and going by the recently launched What India is Drinking 2024 survey, it is also the most favoured single malt across upscale bars in several Indian cities.
Inside Glenlivet
The Glenlivet distillery, in Ballindalloch, is a long way from anywhere. The road that leads to it unfurls dramatic views of the Scottish countryside. The sun’s lager light ignites the tops of the rock-strewn hills of the Cairngorms, shaggy highland cattle ruminate on massive farms, and rain makes brief cameos.
George Smith wasn’t just the first distiller to acquire a licence; he also made, by all accounts, exceptional whisky. The tall lantern-shaped stills he built produced a smooth, floral spirit that gained admirers across the country. Its evangelisers included Charles Dickens who is said to have written to his friend, urging him to try the “rare old Glenlivet”. The whisky’s success also attracted imitators — at one point, over 20 distilleries — who brazenly called their whisky “Glenlivet”. Glenlivet solely acquired the right to use the definite article before its name after a famous legal battle in 1880.
The distiller remained family-owned right until the late 1970s, when it was bought by Canadian multinational Seagram. It was acquired by Pernod Ricard when Seagram’s liquor business imploded in 2001.
Today, the ultramodern distillery, barely a kilometre away from the original setup, produces over two crore litres of pure alcohol annually. But the stills still have long necks and are lantern-shaped and there is even a traditional bonded warehouse where whisky is matured as it was over two centuries ago.
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Toasting the 200th
A lot has changed in the last 25 years at Glenlivet and in the wider world of whisky, says Kevin Balmforth, the distillery’s cask master. “Back then, we had a handful of whiskies in our portfolio — 12 Year Old, 18 Year Old. Now, the market is asking for new flavours, new finishes: rum finish, port finish, rare cask types…” Balmforth tells me that he is currently experimenting with Malbec wine casks from Argentina and cachaca casks from Brazil. Balmforth was also the man behind the libation that accompanied the celebratory dinner at the Glenlivet still house later that evening: the 55 Year Old Eternal Collection First Edition, the oldest official bottling of Glenlivet ever produced.
Balmforth worked for over five years to create the expression that was aged for over half a century in bourbon and sherry barrels and finished in a custom-made sherry cask. “We went to Spain to create the bespoke sherry cask and then we created a blend of sherry that would condition the cask,” he says.
The extremely nuanced release is presented in an elegant rose-gold plated decanter and a striking display stand created by the architect and programmer Michael Hansmeyer. Only 100 bottles are up for sale and at $55,000 ( ₹46 lakh), it isn’t for everyone. But an alcobev distributor from north India, who accompanied me on the trip, is certain that India will have an appetite for it. He has requested for two bottles and expects to find several takers for it during the upcoming wedding season.
