Knockando whisky distillery
Knockando is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery in the village of Knockando, in Moray, on the banks of the River Spey. The name is derived from the Scottish Gaelic Cnoc Cheannachd, meaning ‘hill of commerce’ which is what makes it so simple to pronounce.
It was founded in 1898 by John Tytler Thomson and run by the Knockando-Glenlivet Distillery Company, with the buildings designed by the noted distillery architect Charles Doig. Knockando was one of the first Speyside distilleries to be lit by electricity, and gained its own railway access on the Strathspey line in the early 1900s.
Production is modest by Speyside standards. The distillery draws its water from the Cardnach Spring and runs two wash stills and two spirit stills, with an annual capacity of roughly 1.3 to 1.8 million litres. Its single malt is traditionally released as a vintage at around 12 years old, with an 18 year old expression above it.
Knockando has long been an important component of the J&B blend, and was the source of one of the malts in the J&B Ultima blend of 1994. Following the 1997 merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan it passed (as all distilleries must eventually) to Diageo, which owns it today and sits it within the wider family of its Speyside malts. The single malt has achieved some popularity in France and Spain.
Knockando factsheet
| Name | Pronounced | AKA | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knockando | nock-AN-doo | Speyside | |
| Country of Origin | Status | Active | Whisky Type |
| Scotland | Active | 1898 - Present | Malt |
| Website | Tours Available | Owned by | Parent Group |
| Knockando | Not Available | Diageo |
Knockando equipment & site
| Still maker | Abercrombie |
|---|---|
| Condensers | Worm tub |
What Knockando makes
Whisky
- Knockando 12
- Knockando 15
- Knockando 18
- Knockando 21
Knockando Timeline:
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- 1898Built by the Knockando-Glenlivet Distillery Co.
- 1900-03J. Thomson & Co. proprietors
- 1904Acquired by W. & A. Gilbey Ltd. for £ 3,500
- 1962Incorporated in International Distillers & Vintners (IDV)
- 1968Stills became steamheated
- 1969Distillery rebuilt, when extended from two to four stills
- 1975International Distillers & Vintners (IDV) taken over by Watney Mann
- 1975Watney Mann absorbed by Grand Metropolitan Hotels
- 1977-78First exports as a single malt
- 1994?Now managed by J&B (Scotland) Ltd.
- 1999Owned by United Distillers & Vintners Ltd. (UDV)
- 2004Owned by Diageo plc
- 1898Distillery designed by the architect Charles Doig
- 1905Gains rail access via the Great North of Scotland Railway
- 1994Knockando malt used in the J&B Ultima blend of 128 whiskies
- 1997Passes to Diageo after the Guinness / Grand Metropolitan merger
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Useful Knockando links:
Interesting Knockando links:
Can I tour Knockando?
Yes Knockando distillery is tourable. On Trip Advisor the distillery has been rated as excellent by 189 of 298 tours to date. This gives Knockando an overall rating of 4.5
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