Glenburgie distillery and the whisky produced there is such an important part of the Ballantines blend that you rarely see it bottled as a single malt. An aperitif style Speyside, the herbal, nutty character is one this is almost instantly recogniseable. Underneath there is a fruity, ripe backbone which adds a more complex depth to the whisky. If you can find it you should certinaly try it out.
Founded
1829
Owner
Pernod Ricard
Production Status
Operational
Capacity
4,200, 000 Litres
Even though it may not be the most well known single malt whisky, Glenburgie certainly has a lot of history behind it. It was founded in 1829 by William Paul and has the very high honour of being the very first distillery designed by the famous Charles Chree Doig - a true hero of the Scotch Whisky Industry. Glenburgie has had several owners over the years but it has always produced whisky which was destined for blends. It was bought by Hiram Walker in 1936 and this is where its roots in the Balantines started to take hold.
Over the years Glenburgie has also produced very low quantities of peaty whisky. This whisky, known as Glencraig, took its name from Ballantines Production Director at the time, William Craig. Whilst never officially bottled there have been independent releases of Glencriag over the years however these are becoming more and more scarce.
On the site of the original Glenburgie distillery now stands a state of the art replacement. It may actually be one of the most technically advanced distilleries in Scotland. With Ballantines maintaining its position as the second biggest selling blend in the world this can only be a blessing to make sure there are enough stocks for the future.