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The Glen Moray Distillery is located on the banks of the river Lossie in the town of Elgin, the capital of Speyside.

The “The o’Moray” area has always been known for its good-quality barley, thanks to the special climate in this region (summer 40 days longer than elsewhere in Scotland). In 1815, a beer brewery was built on the spot where the distillery now stands. At that time, Elgin had more than eighty breweries. The area around Elgin was known as the granary of Scotland. Henry Arnott & Co’s brewery, West Brewery, was converted into a distillery by Glen Moray Glenlivet Distillery Co.
Ltd. in 1897. The buildings of the old brewery remained largely intact during the renovation.

The distillery did not last very long, however, and closed in 1910. In 1912, Glen Moray was reopened twice and then closed again. It was a difficult time for the whisky industry during those years. In 1923, the distillery was taken over by Macdonald & Muir, which later became Glenmorangie Plc. The manager of Glenmorangie at that time had to rebuild the business to get the distillery back into production. The last time Glen Moray was closed was from 1940 to 1945 during World War II. Almost all the distilleries had to close at that time due to the shortage of barley.

In 1958, the distillery underwent thorough renovation works. The number of stills was doubled from 2 to 4 and the malting floors were replaced by a Saladin box. This Saladin box disappeared again in 1977.

The distillery was again renovated in 1985. The warehouse contains an average of around 50,000 ex-bourbon and refill sherry casks in which the whisky is maturing. It is mainly bourbon barrels that are used, purchased from the Makers Mark and Heaven Hill distilleries. These barrels impart rich and spicy notes to the different qualities. Glen Moray also uses barrels that have been used to mature wines made from the Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc grape varieties. The natural source of the brewing water is the river Lossie, 250 metres away, where several streams from the southern Mannoch Hills converge.

Manager Steven Woodcock zooms in on the microclimate as he describes the DNA of his whisky. “The slightly warmer climate in Moray and the lower elevation of the distillery helps the spirit to be absorbed into the wood, increasing the influence of the oak on the flavour. The low-lying ‘dunnage’ warehouses (which are regularly flooded) help to make the product smoother. Add to that the high content of first-fill casks and you produce a whisky with a beautiful balance between sweet and spicy.

A typical Speyside Malt is characterised by notes of heather. They often have a floral and fruity character in terms of aroma and taste, resulting in an accessible and round whisky. Glen Moray meets these expectations with its wide range of malt whiskies.