Glen Grant: What is the secret to this Speysider’s success?

Glen Grant is a whisky distillery in Rothes, Speyside. It was founded in 1840. It’s one of the world’s best-selling single malt Scotch whiskies. It was a brand before brands existed, its reach spanning from Africa to Australia before most people had even heard of single malt. 

Yet, for all its international swagger, it’s the unassuming clarity of Glen Grant’s spirit that endures. It’s light without being slight, delicate without being dull, and fresh as a Speyside spring. This is the story of how a Scotch whisky stayed true to itself and something so gentle became so mighty. 

Glen Grant: A Grant family legacy

Glen Grant was founded by brothers John and James Grant, who brought a practical, forward-thinking mindset to a business that was still shaking off its smuggler’s past. The Grants were innovators. Not in that way that every brand claims they are now. And that new innovation isn’t just that they added a slightly obscure botanical in their gin or used an “exotic” cask to age a whisky. 

The brothers didn’t just build a distillery; they helped build Rothes. The dynamic duo helped bring electric light to the town, and James Grant, in particular, was instrumental in creating the Morayshire Railway Company. Transport was their secret weapon. Realising that whisky production on a serious scale would be impossible without efficient logistics, James helped lay the literal tracks for Glen Grant’s success. First came the Lossiemouth to Elgin rail line; then, in 1858, the Grants personally paid to extend it south to Rothes.

The whisky could now move at speed. And so could Glen Grant.

James “The Major” Grant

James “The Major” Grant took over in 1872 at the age of 25, and he wasted no time making an impression. The man was a walking adventure novel*. He probably owned the first motor car in the Highlands. He travelled the world, returned with exotic plants, and created the distillery’s beloved Garden of Splendours (or Victorian Garden, as it was previously known). The garden remains a centrepiece today, lending an almost Japanese serenity to Glen Grant’s grounds. Take a stroll around and you half expect a band of Ewoks to emerge from the foliage with a dram in hand.

The Major’s flair wasn’t limited to horticulture. His engineering nous led to the development of the distillery’s signature tall stills and water-cooled purifiers, the kit that helped create Glen Grant’s distinctively light and fruity spirit. In a world that was moving away from heavy, muscular malts and smoky drams, Glen Grant was well-positioned to take advantage as the clean-cut alternative. Elegant, yet entirely its own beast.

Caperdonich: The Lost Twin

The Major even built a second distillery across the road in 1897. Glen Grant No. 2 didn’t last long, shutting in 1902. But its maltings lived on, home to what were likely the first pneumatic malting drums in the Highlands. 

The distillery reopened in 1965 as Caperdonich, with spirit piped directly across the road via a steel tube—a literal pipeline of ambition. It finally closed in 2002, bulldozed to make room for Forsyths, the coppersmiths responsible for stills all over Scotland.

Ownership changes: Blends, bottlers and the big boys

In 1952, Glen Grant merged with the Smith Grants of The Glenlivet, then joined up with neighbours Longmorn and Benriach in 1970. Eight years later, Seagram bought the lot, ending the family’s involvement. 

Glen Grant’s easy-drinking style found favour in Italy, which remains its biggest market. But while the brand focused on younger age statements, indie bottler Gordon & MacPhail quietly curated a deep stock of old-school Glen Grant in sherried oak. These releases have helped curate an image of Glen Grant as a whisky of esteem.

After Seagram collapsed, Glen Grant became part of Pernod Ricard, which offloaded it in 2006 to Gruppo Campari. The Italian connection made it a perfect match. The group owns the distillery today and has put a lot of time and money into boosting its profile and pushing the distillery forward. 

How is Glen Grant whisky made? 

The process of creating Glen Grant whisky has been slowly perfected over 180 years. It stands apart as the only distillery in Speyside where whisky is crafted from barley to bottle entirely on-site. This is the kind of dedication to quality and control that pays dividends when it comes to tasting the final product.

The whisky-making process starts with mineral-rich water from the Caperdonich spring and Scottish barley. A shorter fermentation process is said to help preserve the whisky’s quality throughout maturation. But the stills are the key: tall, slender shapes with wide, almost square boil bulbs paired with purifiers that return heavier compounds to the pot. As far as we know, it’s the only distillery in Scotland with purifiers on both the wash and the spirit stills. The result is a clean spirit, layered with nuance.

John Grant added a second pair of stills in the late 1800s. A new stillhouse with two more arrived in 1973, followed by another four in 1977. By 1983, the old stillhouse was closed, and two larger stills brought the current total to eight.

The heating setup was more convoluted than a soap opera plotline. Coal-fired until 1973, then gas for the new stills. In 1983, the wash stills reverted to coal while the spirit stills used steam. These days, all are indirectly fired, but older bottlings suggest coal brought a touch more weight. Also worth noting: Glen Grant used peat well into the early ‘70s.

Most spirit now ages in bourbon and refill casks, but there’s been a recent return to love for sherry casks too, particularly seen in the Glasshouse Collection. First launched last year, just this week the series added a serene, twilight-inspired 30-Year-Old single malt – the oldest in the distillery’s permanent range.

Dennis Malcolm OBE: The man who was Glen Grant

Few people personify a distillery quite like Dennis Malcolm. The man spent over six decades at Glen Grant, rising from apprentice cooper to master distiller. His father and grandfather had worked there too, a heritage forged in sweat and oak shavings. In 2016, he was awarded an OBE for services to whisky and the Speyside community. 

When he retired in 2024, he handed the reins to Greig Stables, who had already clocked up 18 years at the distillery. The legacy continues with a team of 30 quietly obsessive whisky folk keeping things ticking.

What does Glen Grant whisky taste like?

The distillery character of Glen Grant is a fresh character reminiscent of zesty green apples, honey, and vanilla. It’s one of those whisky makers that I categorise in my own head as “sparkling Speyside fruit”: vibrant, elegant spirit that lets each delicate element shine and is radiant with fruits of orchard, tropical, and stone variety. I think of Glen Elgin and Mannochmore in the same terms.

Peeking through the core range, we see this character develop as it ages. In the Glen Grant 10 Year Old we get a Speyside spring morning in a glass, all crisp green apple, vanilla pods, and a drizzle of honey. Step up to the 12 Year Old and things get richer: apple crumble, soft caramel, and a flick of warming spice. Then there’s the 18 Year Old, which is layered with dried fruit, toffee, and nutmeg but still elegant.

And age doesn’t weary it. Glen Grant’s style has an uncanny ability to thrive in oak without losing its clarity. Aged expressions, like the aforementioned Gordon & MacPhail releases and the new 65 Year Old from the Splendours Collection, are proof that delicate doesn’t mean fragile. 

The Splendours Collection: $50K and Worth Every Penny?

Yes, just last month, Glen Grant revealed its most ambitious release to date: a $50,000 single malt to kick off the Splendours Collection. The whisky was distilled in 1958 and matured for 65 years in a single French oak cask. 

Presented in a decanter inspired by the rare Himalayan blue poppy from the Garden of Splendours, the release is limited to 151 handcrafted vessels, with only seven destined for the UK. It’s a statement piece.

So why did Glen Grant succeed where others didn’t?

Simple: consistency, clarity, and timing. Glen Grant has always made a bright, accessible, tasty whisky. It let others chase trends and it made itself export-ready early, leaned into innovation without fanfare, and nurtured a house style that doesn’t get old. Even when the whisky does.

Speyside is a great place to start if you’re new to Scotch. Glen Grant proves it’s also a great place to finish.

You can buy Glen Grant whisky from Master of Malt.

*His story, while remarkable, is perhaps outdone by his servant, Biawa Makalaga. This is a tale worth reading.