Miltonduff distillery

Miltonduff is a Scotch whisky distillery in Moray, six miles south-west of Elgin. It stands on the site of a former mill belonging to Pluscarden Abbey, chosen for its pure water. The Duff family built the distillery in 1824 and named the area Miltonduff. In 1866 William Stuart took over, later joining forces with Thomas Yool in 1890. By then the distillery produced over one million litres of alcohol. The site expanded under Hiram Walker and Allied Domecq, adding a technical centre and laboratories. In 1960 Miltonduff pioneered a new way to heat stills using heat exchangers and a diffuser. Chivas Brothers now own the distillery, having acquired it through Pernod Ricard in 2005. A £88 million investment was announced in 2022 to build a sustainable distillery next to the existing one. Visitors find six stills and several warehouses on the site. Most whisky made here goes into Ballantine’s blends, though a single malt called Mosstowie has been produced since 1964. The distillery sits beside the old abbey lands, where the water still flows clear.