Whisky Business - Who OWns What

Glenrothes

5,600,000

Glenturret

340,000

Highland Park

2,500,000

The Macallan

8,000,000

Who Owns What?

Slàinte Mhath

Keith Wood

In the complex corporate world of distillery ownership, take-overs and the odd selling of a distillery back into private ownership, have you ever wondered just who owns which distilleries?

This feature page of Whisky Emporium lists all the Scottish & Irish distilleries and their brands from my tasting notes page, focusing on single malts and grain whisky.

I have future plans to update the information given here and I will also attempt to keep this ownership list up to date. USA (bourbon) coming soon!

Scottish single malt & grain distilleries

Independently owned

Distillery & main brand

Other whisky brands produced by the distillery

Capacity

Adelphi

Ardnamurchan

unknown

Andrew Symington	Edradour		90,000
Angus Dundee	Glencadam		1,500,000
	Tomintoul		3,000,000
BenRiach Distillery Company (Billy Walker)	BenRiach		2,400,000
	GlenDronach		1,300,000
	Glenglassaugh		1,000,000
Francis & Ian Cuthbert	Daftmill		65,000
Gordon & MacPhail	BenRomach		500,000
Ian MacLeod Distillers	Glengoyne		1,100,000
	Tamdhu		reopening
Isle of Arran Distillers	Arran		750,000
J&A Mitchell	Springbank	Hazelburn, Longrow, Springbank	750,000
	Glengyle	Kilkerran	unknown
J&G Grant	Glenfarclas		3,000,000
John Clotsworthy (Drumchork Hotel)	Loch Ewe		20,000
Kilchoman Distillery Company Limited	Kilchoman		90,000
Mark Tayburn	Abhainn Dearg		20,000
David Prior	Bladnoch		250,000	*
Speyside Distillers Company Limited	The Speyside	Cú Dhub, Drumguish, Glentromie	600,000
Tomatin Distillery Company Limited	Tomatin		5,000,000

Tullibardine Distillery Company Limited

Tullibardine

2,500,000

William Grant & Sons	Ailsa Bay		6,000,000
	Convalmore	(Diageo owns the 'Brand')	Closed 1985
	Glenfiddich		10,000,000
	Kininvie		4,800,000
	Ladyburn	Ladyburn & (Rare) Ayrshire	Closed 1976	Demolished.
	The Balvenie		5,600,000
	Girvan	Grain distillery	15,000,000

1887 Company, Highland Distillers, Edrington

Capacity

Bacardi

(distilleries run under "J. Dewar & Sons" name)

Capacity

Aberfeldy		2,100,000
Aultmore		2,100,000
Craigellachie		2,700,000
Glen Deveron / Macduff	Glen Deveron & MacDuff brands	2,400,000
Royal Brackla		2,500,000

Beam Suntory

Capacity

	Ardmore		4,200,000
	Auchentoshan		1,650,000

	Bowmore		2,000,000
	Glen Garioch		1,000,000
	Laphroaig		2,400,000

Burn Stewart

(Burn Stewart now owned by "Distel")

Capacity

Bunnahabhain		2,500,000
Deanston		3,000,000
Tobermory	Tobermory & Ledaig brands	1,000,000

Campari

Capacity

Glen Grant

5,900,000

Diageo

Diageo is the undisputed giant of Scottish distilleries thanks to a series of mergers and acquisitions throughout many years.

Diageo was ultimately formed in 1997 when Grand Metropolitan and Guinness merged, but when it comes to whisky distilleries, there are many other mergers which have helped form the list of owned distilleries today.

Some of Diageo's distilleries were owned by SMD (Scottish Malt Distillers) which were acquired by DCL, but in 1987 when DCL & Arthur Bell merged a new company called UD (United Distillers) was created. Then in 1997 UD merged with Internetional Distillers & Vintners to create UDV (United Distillers & Vintners).

These are now part of Diageo although I am listing them here under the individual companies.

SMD (Scottish Malt Distillers)

Capacity

Hillside	Hillside & Glen Esk brands produced	Closed 1985
Port Ellen		Closed 1983, only maltings remain
St. Magdalene	St. Magdalene & Linlithgow brands	Closed 1983

DCL

Banff		Closed 1983, demolished
Brora		Closed 1983
Coleburn		Closed 1985
Dallas Dhu		Closed 1983, license revoked 1992
Glen Albyn		Closed 1983, demolished
Glenlochy		Closed 1983
Glen Mhor		Closed 1983, demolished
Glenury Royal		Closed 1985, demolished
Millburn		Closed 1985, demolished
North Port / Brechin	North Port & brechin brands produced	Closed 1983, demolished

Rosebank

Closed 1983

UD (United Distillers)

Capacity

Pittyvaich

Closed 1993, demolished

UDV

Capacity

Auchroisk		3,100,000
Benrinnes		2,600,000
Blair Athol		2,000,000
Caol Ila		3,600,000
Cardhu		2,300,000
Clynelish		3,400,000
Cragganmore		1,600,000
Dailuaine		3,200,000
Dalwhinnie		1,300,000
Dufftown	Dufftown & Singleton brands produced	4,000,000
Glendullan		3,700,000
Glen Elgin	Glen Elgin & Old Elgin brands produced	1,800,000
Glenkinchie		1,700,000
Glenlossie		2,140,000
Glen Ord		5,000,000
Glen Spey		1,390,000
Inchgower		2,200,000
Knockando		1,290,000
Lagavulin		2,400,000
Linkwood		2,300,000
Mannochmore	Mannochmore & Loch Dhu brands	3,220,000
Mortlach		2,910,000
Oban		700,000
Royal Lochnagar		400,000
Strathmill		1,700,000

	Talisker		1,900,000
	Teaninich		4,000,000

Caledonian

Grain distillery

closed

Cambus	Grain distillery	closed 1993
Cameron Bridge	Grain distillery	30,000,000
Port Dundas	Grain distillery	Closing 2010

Diageo

New distilleries opened under Diageo

Roseisle

10,000,000

Inver House

(Pacific Spirits)

Capacity

Balblair		1,330,000
Balmenach		2,000,000
Knockdhu	Knockdhu & An Cnoc brands produced.	900,000
Moffat	Glen Flagler, Killyloch. Garnheath (grain)	Closed.
Pulteney	Old Pulteney	3,000,000
Speyburn		2,700,000

La Martiniquaise

Capacity

Glen Moray

2,000,000

Starlaw

Grain whisky

unknown

Loch Lomond Distillery Company

Capacity

	Glen Scotia		1,000,000
	Littlemill	Littlemill & Dunglass brands	Closed 1984

Loch Lomond

Craiglodge, Croftengea, Glen Douglas, Inchfad, Inchmoan, Inchmurrin, Old Rhosdhu brands produced.

12,000,000

Loch Lomond

Grain whisky incl. in above figures

LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey)

Capacity

	Ardbeg		1,000,000
	Glenmorangie		6,000,000

Nikka

Capacity

Ben Nevis

2,000,000

North British Distillery Company Ltd

owned by 'Lothian Distillers' a 50-50 joint venture of Edrington & Diageo

Capacity

North British

Grain distillery

64,000,000

North of Scotland Distilling Company Ltd

North of Scotland / Strathmore

Grain distillery

Closed 1980

Pernod Ricard

(Chivas Brothers / Allied Domecq / Long John)

Capacity

Aberlour		3,500,000
Allt á Bhainne		4,000,000
Braeval	Braeval & Braes of Glenlivet brands.	4,000,000
Caperdonich		Closed, demolished 2010
Glenallachie		2,800,000
Glenburgie	Glenburgie & Glencraig brands.	4,200,000
Glen Keith	Mothballed 1999, reopened June 2013	6,000,000
Glentauchers		3,400,000
Imperial		Closed
Inverleven		Closed, demolished
Lochside (Allied Domecq)		Closed 1992, demolished
Longmorn		3,500,000
MiltonDuff	MiltonDuff & Mosstowie brands.	5,240,000
Scapa		1,200,000
Strathisla		2,400,000
The Glenlivet		8,500,000

Tormore

3,600,000

	Dumbarton	Grain distillery	Mothballed, Closed 2002
	Strathclyde	Grain distillery	40,000,000

Remy Cointreau

(Bruichladdich Distillery Company)

Capacity

Bruichladdich

Also Octomore & Port Charlotte brands

1,500,000

United Spirits

(Whyte & Mackay / Invergordon Distillers)

Capacity

Invergordon

Grain distillery

40,000,000

Whitbread & Co. Ltd

(From when they owned Long John)

Capacity

	Glenugie		Closed 1983, demolished
	Strathclyde / Kinclaith	Kinclaith stills in Strathclyde distillery	Kinclaith dismantled.

Footnotes to Scottish distilleries

	Distillery capacity is specified in maximum litres of pure alcohol per year
	* UDV sales contract to Raymond Armstrong limits output to 250,000, some even say 100,000. Theoretical Max is nearer 1,300,000

** I've found many capacity figures for Loch lomond distillery, incl. 2.5m 4m & 12m litres. I have accepted 12m from Wikipedia & MM sites

Irish distilleries

Beam Global

(Cooley distillery)

Capacity

	Riverstown (Cooley)	Connemara, Greenore, Kilbeggan, Locke's, Tyrconnel	4,500,000	(Malt & Grain)
	Kilbeggan	Only Kilbeggan distillery reserve expression for now.

Diageo

Capacity

Bushmills

Bushmills & Coleraine

4,500,000

(Malt)

Pernod Ricard

(Irish Distillers Ltd)

Capacity

Midleton

Jameson, Midleton, Paddy, Powers & Redbreast

30,000,000

(PPS, Grain & Malt)

PPS = Pure Pot Still

USA (Bourbon) distilleries (coming soon)