Glenora Distillery, North America’s first single malt whisky distillery, begins its history in the early 1800s. At this time, there was an influx of Scottish immigrants to Cape Breton Island, Canada, and with the natural surroundings resembling the Highlands of Scotland so strongly, it was here that they chose to settle. With them, they brought over the secrets of distilling Scotch whisky.

Bruce Jardine was the original owner and founder of Glenora Distillery, who sought help from the Bowmore Distillers back in Scotland. They helped source authentic Scottish copper pot stills and a mash tun for the new distillery. The distillery’s water source comes from MacLellan’s Brook, the purest source of water in Cape Breton.

The distillery was constructed in 1990, with initial production yielding 20 barrels. After some financial problems, it was in 1994 that Glenora was acquired by its current owners, and it wasn’t until 2000 that the first official distillery bottling of Glen Breton Rare was released.