Glenrothes

Translation: Valley of Rothes (family and place name)

Region: Speyside

"Smoke on the water" ...

That must have been a spectacular picture: On May 15, 1922, a huge fire breaks out in warehouse No.1 in Glenrothes. More than 2,500 barrels catch fire, the burning whiskey pours blazing into the Burn of Rothes and flows with him through the whole place.
It was not the first fire. Twenty-five years earlier, a fire had destroyed large parts of the distillery and in 1903 an explosion caused considerable damage. Perhaps it was a bad omen that Glenrothes started production on December 28, 1879, the day the Firth of Tay Bridge collapsed at Dundee.

A little history

Founded in 1878, Glenrothes was after Glen Grant the second distillery in the small town of Rothes in the heart of the Speyside area. The founders William Grant, Robert Dick and John Cruickshank had recently teamed up with William Grant & Co. - not to mention the William Grant of Glenfiddich. The whiskey production started on December 28, 1879.
In 1887, they teamed with Islay Distillery Co. (owner of Bunnahabhain) to form Highland Distillers Ltd. together.
In 1897 a fire severely damaged the distillery. In 1903 an explosion broke out. In 1922 a fire destroyed the warehouse. 1 and its stocks.
In 1963, the number of stills was increased from four to six, 1980 to eight and finally to ten in 1989.
Glenrothes has long been an integral part of the successful blended whiskeys Cutty Sark and Famous Grouse.

What do I actually have in the glass?

The Glenrothes matures quite fast, so that even younger vintages are already very complex. The malts have a rather dry character and are characterized by pronounced spiciness and fruitiness. Smoke? Rather little.

3 reasons to love Glenrothes

1) Because the Malt is a great Speysider.
2) Because the distillery really was not always easy (see above).
3) Because the bulbous original bottles are so cute.

The one drama for the lonely island

The 16-year-old from refill Sherry Butt in Signatory's "Un-Chillfiltered" series is the purest flavor wonder. And reasonably priced ...

numbers and facts

Address: Burnside Street, Rothes, Morayshire, AB38 7AA
Founded: 1878 by James Stuart & Co.
Status: active
Owner: Highland Distillers (Edrington Group)
Capacity: about 5,500,000 liters
5 wash stills (22,990 l)
5 spirit stills (25,400 l)
Water: Ardcanny & Brucehill Springs
Visitor Center: Yes
Telephone: +44 (0) 1340/872300
Website: www.theglenrothes.com