The Fettercairn whisky distillery lies not far from the River Esk in the Eastern Highlands. Here, at the foothills of the untamed Cairngorm Mountains, Fettercain sits in its namesake town, far from any other Scotch distillery, its cooling waters trickling down from the untamed peaks. Originally sited a good two miles further up the slopes of the Cairngorms, the Fettercairn distillery was founded in 1824 by Sir Alexander Ramsay, who licensed it a year later.
In 1830, Sir Alexander sold the distillery as well as Fasque Estate to Sir John Gladstone, father of William Ewart Gladstone who would be Prime Minister on four occasions over the course of the 19th century and, during which time, he would not only legalize the selling of bottled whisky to the public, but also scrap the Malt Tax.
In 1887, a fire rendered the distillery almost totally destroyed and it did not reopen until 1890. Fettercairn closed in 1912 and production did not recommence until 1939 when Associated Scottish Distillers acquired the distillery. Today, Fettercairn whisky is generally light and balanced, the only official bottling being a twelve year-old which replaced the previous ten year-old. There are just a handful of independent bottlings. Fettercairn is at present under Whyte and Mackay ownership following purchase in the 1970s.