Allt-a-Bhainne’s story
This little known Speyside distillery is found at the foot of the Benrinnes mountain, on the southern side. It is operated by Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky arm of Pernod Ricard. The name means ‘milk on the burn’ in Gaelic, with a burn being a stream. It is a modern facility with a mild brutalist look to its architecture, and one that has rarely seen a distillery named bottling released.
All the whisky produced at Allt-a-Bhainne goes to blending contracts, although a few independent bottlings are available on the market. The blends that feature Allt-a-Bhainne include 100 Pipers, Ballantine’s and Chivas Regal. They also produce a mildly peated style of single malt for a short period each year, which again is used in several blended Scotch whiskies.
Allt-a-Bhainne’s history
The distillery was built in the mid 1970s by Chivas Brothers, which was a subsiduary of Canadian drinks company Seagrams at the time. Allt-a-Bhainne has a large capacity of approximately 4 million litres per year and it was designed to primarily produce spirit to go towards their blended Scotch whisky brands. It was designed to run on minimal staff and its architecture is functional rather than aesthetic.
Production was doubled in 1989 but a slump in the global economy and demand for whisky led to the distillery and Seagrams falling on hard times a decade or so later. Allt-a-Bhainne was closed in 2002, as Seagrams sold off their assets to other drinks companies to raise cash, primarily Diageo and Pernod Ricard. Pernod Ricard took over the distillery and production recommenced in 2005 following a period of mothballing – the process where a distillery is out of production but equipment remains to immediately restart when required.
- How to pronounce Allt-a-Bhainne? olt-a-vain
- Country: Scotland
- Region: Speyside
- Founded: 1975
- Current owners: Pernod Ricard
- Production capacity per year: 4.2 million litres
- Mash tun: 9 ton
- Washbacks: 8
- Stills: 4
- Visitor centre: No
Allt-a-Bhainne Distillery
Glenrinnes
Banffshire
AB55 4DI
tel – +44(0)1542 783 200
web – not currently existing
Did you know?
Allt-a-Bhainne has two of the tallest stills with the longest necks in Scotland and this produces a lighter and more delicate spirit than most.