The Glenturret distillery in the highlands is one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries, or the oldest depending on who you ask. Owned by the Lalique group since 2019, this picturesque distillery is fast becoming one of the most talked about in Scotland. Earlier this month they announced that they will be ceasing the use of peat in their whisky production, but here are eight other things you might not know about Glenturret.

One Of The Smallest Distilleries In Scotland

The output at Glenturret is just 340,000 litres of alcohol, which makes it firmly one of the smallest producers in Scotland. Rather than focusing on mass produced whisky Glenturret focuses on small batch, artisan style production. They still work out of the historic distillery buildings that have been home to the distillery since the 19th century.

This is in line with the general ethos of the premium wineries that are also in the Lalique group.

They Have The Best Restaurant In Scotland

The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant has two Michelin stars and is the best restaurant in Scotland and the 11th best in the UK according to the National Restaurant Awards. The Michelin guide on the distillery restaurant states, “The likes of tattie scones are served alongside Highland Wagyu and caviar, in a room that features both a rustic beamed ceiling and maple leaf Lalique chandeliers. Chef Mark Donald adeptly balances local and global influences in sophisticated, precisely crafted dishes with superb depth of flavour.”

It’s the compliment that restaurateurs dream of and is part of the general embracing of whisky tourism and whisky experiences by distilleries. After all, a distillery is just a factory for making spirits, just like a restaurant is just a place for cooking food… it’s the experience around that which elevates both distillery and restaurant into somewhere you want to go again and again.

It’s also very much not just about the food. Whisky fans can enjoy a whisky tasting menu as well as the usual extensive wine menu you’d expect from a Michelin starred establishment.

They Have A Record Setting Cat

The Glenturret distillery loves cats. Their current resident mousers—Glen and Turret—have their beds tucked under the stills where it is the perfect toastie temperature to rest between mouse hunts. These two mousers have a lot to live up to. One of their predecessors, Towser, has her own statue outside the distillery, and a world record officially recorded in the Guiness Book of Records.

Not many distilleries have their own floor malting anymore, but back in Towser’s day protecting the barley as it was malted was a full time profession. She averaged 3 to 4 mice a day throughout her almost 24 year lifetime, which the Guiness Records team worked out as just shy of 29,000 mice. That is a lot of whisky protected!

Not Just Whisky

The Glenturret Distillery also produces Aberturret Gin and it’s a surprising must try for whisky fans! Aberturret Gin is distilled using 14 carefully selected botanicals, including local favourites like chamomile and sumac alongside the juniper that must be present in gin. What is interesting for whisky fans, is that it is enriched with Glenturret new make, giving whisky enthusiasts a chance to sample whisky flavours before it becomes whisky.

You Can Stay the Night

As well as dining experiences and day trips, I’m seeing more and more distilleries looking to offer their own accommodation options. As they look to premiumise and offer luxury experiences they need the infrastructure around them to continue the experience at the right level. This is where the Aberturret Estate House comes in.

The former Dower House of the esteemed Murray Clan, who founded The Glenturret over 260 years ago, has lent its name to Glenturret’s new gin and been transformed. The 6-bedroom rural estate has been lovingly refurbished to the highest standard and is available for exclusive use or for guests of The Glenturret Lalique restaurant. It is decorated to reflect the traditional charm of the original house and the modern needs of family and friends who choose to gather there. It is also a convenient stroke to the The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant!

You Might Be Overlooking Their Core Range

In 2024 just 210 bottles of The Glenturret 25 year old and 300 of their 30 year old were produced. That is incredibly low release numbers by today’s standards. The master whisky maker at the Glenturret is Bob Dalgarno, who whisky fans and Macallan collectors may recognise as the master whisky maker at the infamous Speyside distillery. Dalgarno’s name is associated with many world renowned bottlings, and since 2019 he has been crafted exceptional whiskies at The Glenturret.

I’ve already mentioned how small Glenturret’s output is, and while it may seem counterintuitive for whisky drinkers small release numbers are important for collectors as scarcity drives value. At The Glenturret Dalgarno’s focus is on creating an exceptional whisky, and if decides that he only has enough for 200 bottles each year, that is all that’s released. There are other distilleries that have small outputs and small core range releases (Springbank and Glenfarclas to name just two), but importantly for collectors, The Glenturret is the one that is already backed by a premium global parent company.

Celebrating The Jaguar C-Type

Whatever you think of the recent Jaguar rebrand I think everyone agrees they are carmaking legends. In 1953 the Jaguar C-Type dominated Le Mans 24 hours and broke the 100mph average for the first time. 70 years later Bob Dalgarno created a unique whisky to honor and celebrate the achievement. Jaguar X The Glenturret was a limited release of 220 bottles for the 220bhp engine and was created from 5 casks with a minimum age of 32 years.

Are They The Oldest Distillery In Scotland?

A distillery was founded at The Glenturret site in 1763, which makes it the oldest distillery in Scotland. It originally went by the name of Thurot and then Hosh. It didn’t actually take on the Glenturret moniker until 1875 and that was a name that it borrowed from a short lived distillery that had been nearby. Which is all standard stuff in the historic and modern whisky world—most of the 200+ year old distilleries around today have been through name changes, and the evolution of distillery sites and locations is something we still see today.

I’ve also seen Littlemill claim to be the oldest distillery in Scotland. I don’t know much more beyond the name changes and movements mentioned above, but for me Littlemill distillery is closed, so I’ll leave the semantics beyond that to the distilleries themselves.