Glenkinchie distillery

Glenkinchie distillery stands in a quiet glen near the village of Pencaitland, about 25 kilometres from Edinburgh. The Kinchie Burn runs through the farmland where it sits, and the name comes from the old ‘De Quincy’ family who once owned the land. Brothers John and George Rate founded the distillery around 1825, though records suggest it may have been the Milton Distillery before they renamed it in 1837. After a period as a sawmill in the 1850s, whisky production restarted under Major James Grey in 1881. The distillery later joined Scottish Malt Distillers and became part of The Distillers Company in 1925. The site has played a key role in Scotland’s whisky trade for nearly two centuries. In 1969 the malting floors were turned into a museum of malt whisky after the distillery stopped making its own malt. Guinness took over in 1986, and after merging with Grand Metropolitan it became part of Diageo. The Glenkinchie 12 Year Old won Best Lowland Single Malt at the 2013 World Whiskies Awards. A new visitor centre opened in 2020, making it easier for people to explore the distillery’s history. Visitors find a working distillery set among rolling farmland, with the old malting floors now a museum. The visitor centre offers a chance to see how single malt whisky is made and to taste the Lowland spirit. The surrounding countryside provides peaceful walks beside the Kinchie Burn. The museum displays whisky-making tools and tells the story of the Rate brothers and Major Grey. A guided tour explains how the distillery became part of Scotland’s whisky heritage.