William Grant & Sons

From Dufftown to the world: a founder and his family

William Grant was born in 1839 in Dufftown in the Scottish Speyside. He initially worked as a shoemaker's apprentice and joined a distillery as an accountant in 1866. He stayed there for about 20 years and rose to the position of manager. In 1886, he bought land and materials and built the Glenfiddich distillery with his children. On Christmas Day 1887, the first distillate ran from the stills.

Five years later, The Balvenie followed as the second distillery. In 1898, the Grant's blend was launched on the market. In 1961, the company brought Glenfiddich onto the market as a single malt; in 1963, it opened the grain distillery Girvan in Ayrshire. To this day, descendants of the founder run the company. The company headquarters are in Dufftown; sales and marketing are based in Richmond near London.

Old stills, firm signature, biogas from distillery residues

William's aspiration was the best dram in the valley. The company still cites this aspiration as a guideline today. The blending department also relies on continuity: David Stewart was Master Blender for 47 years before Brian Kinsman took over the task. In Girvan, historical stills are still in use today, including a Bennett pot still from 1860 and a Carter-Head still from 1948, both for gin production.

The Girvan distillery of William Grant & Sons generates electricity on-site from biogas. In Dufftown, trucks of the Glenfiddich fleet run on biogas obtained from distillation residues. According to the company, it developed the technology for this itself. At Monkey Shoulder, the glass weight of the bottles was also reduced.

Single malt, blend, and gin: eight core brands, one family name

The portfolio includes eight core brands: Glenfiddich, Grant's, The Balvenie, Tullamore D.E.W., Drambuie, Hendrick's Gin, Sailor Jerry, and Monkey Shoulder. Distilling and bottling take place in Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, India, the USA, and Mexico.

In our shop, Hendrick's Gin represents this house. It was created in 1999 under Master Distiller Lesley Gracie in Girvan. The brand combines two distillates: the Bennett still provides a powerful spirit, the Carter-Head still a lighter, floral one. Both are blended and rounded off with essences of rose petals and cucumber. In the glass, rose and cucumber are at the front, the juniper recedes, and in the end, dry citrus freshness remains. Serve it as a gin and tonic with a slice of cucumber or use it for cocktails with a citrus note.