Dufftown distillery

Dufftown distillery stands beside the River Fiddich in the heart of Dufftown, Moray. Built in 1895 as Dufftown-Glenlivet Distillery, it now belongs to Diageo and runs six stills. Three wash stills hold 13,100 litres each, while three spirit stills hold 15,300 litres. The site produces up to four million litres of spirit every year. Its whisky flavours appear in Arthur Bell & Sons blends and also fill bottles under the Singleton of Dufftown and Dufftown Aged 15 Years labels. Nearby Dufftown has five other working distilleries. The distillery is one of Speyside’s most important malt producers. Its stills shape the character of widely sold blends and single malts. The Singleton of Dufftown brand has grown in markets around the world. The Dufftown Aged 15 Years offers a deeper, oak-matured taste. Together these whiskies carry the distillery’s reputation far beyond Moray. The six stills keep the traditional floor maltings and copper pot stills in steady use. Visitors walk past the stillhouse where the six gleaming stills stand. The mash tun and washbacks fill the tun room, ready for fermentation. Warehouses hold casks of maturing spirit stacked to the rafters. A visitor centre explains how barley becomes whisky in a series of plain, whitewashed buildings. The river outside provides the soft water that gives the whisky its gentle Speyside edge. The scent of malt and oak lingers in the air long after the tour ends.