Allt-a-Bhainne Distillery: History, Owner, Range and Visitor Guide
Updated: 4 days ago
Allt-a-Bhainne is a Chivas Brothers distillery near Dufftown in Speyside. Built by Seagram in 1975 to supply malt for Chivas Regal and other blends, it was designed so that one person could run the whole process. Its name is Gaelic for milk burn. This profile covers its history, owner, production and visitor status.
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Allt-a-Bhainne at a glance
At a glance | Allt-a-Bhainne Distillery |
|---|---|
Location | Glenrinnes near Dufftown, Speyside |
Founded | 1975, Seagram |
Owner | Chivas Brothers / Pernod Ricard |
Character and heritage | Efficient 1970s blending malt distillery, with occasional peated spirit |
Regular public visitor access | Working production site without a regular public visitor centre. |
Bottle information | Limited, historic or independent releases rather than a standard official range |
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The story, ownership and production of Allt-a-Bhainne
Where is Allt-a-Bhainne distillery?
The distillery is on the slopes of Ben Rinnes, just down the road from Dufftown. Scotchwhisky.com gives the address as Allt-a-Bhainne Distillery, Glenrinnes, Moray, AB55 4DB.
Allt-a-Bhainne history
Seagram built the distillery in 1975 to supply bulk malt for the Chivas Brothers blends. Wikipedia and Scotchwhisky.com both describe it as one of the first distilleries designed for efficiency, with all the equipment in a single room.
1975: built by Seagram.
1989: a second pair of stills doubles capacity to four, according to The Single Cask.
2001: Pernod Ricard acquires Chivas Brothers.
2002 or 2003: mothballed. Wikipedia says 2002 and Scotchwhisky.com says 2003.
2005: reopened by Chivas Brothers.
2018: first official single malt bottling, according to Wikipedia.
The Single Cask notes that the pagoda shaped kiln roofs are decorative, since the distillery has never malted its own barley.
How Allt-a-Bhainne makes its whisky
Scotchwhisky.com lists a traditional infusion mash tun of 6.7 metres diameter, eight stainless steel washbacks of 42,000 litres, a 48 hour fermentation, two wash stills of 21,000 litres and two spirit stills of 13,000 litres. New make strength is 68 to 70%. Water comes from springs on Benrinnes, with the Mains Burn used for cooling. The malt specification is under 1 ppm phenol, supplied by Crisp.
Both Scotchwhisky.com and The Single Cask say the distillery has occasionally produced a heavily peated variant.
Who owns Allt-a-Bhainne?
Chivas Brothers, part of Pernod Ricard. Seagram owned it from 1975 to 2001.
Allt-a-Bhainne range
The spirit goes mainly into Chivas Regal. A short lived official single malt appeared in the late 2010s. The Single Cask says Signatory Vintage and Hepburn's Choice have released independent bottlings. No ABVs were found in the sources used.
Visiting Allt-a-Bhainne
The distillery is not open to the public.
Allt-a-Bhainne whisky bottles and key expressions
This distillery is primarily known for whisky used in blends. The bottles below are documented historic or independent releases rather than a regular official retail core range.
Named bottle / release | Age | ABV | Cask or release information |
|---|---|---|---|
Allt-a-Bhainne 12 Year Old 2008 Douglas Laing Provenance Cask 14655 | 12 years | 46% | November 2008 refill hogshead, bottled March 2021, 435 bottles |
Allt-a-Bhainne 12 Year Old The Stillman's Selection | 12 years | 43% | Limited 1994 independent edition; 200 bottles |
Whisky flavour, casks and tasting notes
Efficient 1970s blending malt distillery, with occasional peated spirit. The precise aromas and flavours depend on the individual bottle, cask and age. These are distillery style observations, not original Whisky Clan bottle tasting scores. We only publish a personal rating once we have reviewed that whisky.
Where can you buy Allt-a-Bhainne?
Check the individual source pages listed below and reputable whisky specialists or auctioneers for historic releases. Prices and distribution can differ across the UK, the US, Europe, Canada and Australia. Historic catalogue listings do not confirm current stock.
Visitor information
Working production site without a regular public visitor centre.
Explore more Speyside distilleries
Mortlach: Read the history, owners and whisky styles
Glendullan: Read the history, owners and whisky styles
Dufftown: Read the history, owners and whisky styles
Aberlour: Read the history, owners and whisky styles
Craigellachie: Read the history, owners and whisky styles
Glenallachie: Read the history, owners and whisky styles
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Frequently asked questions about Allt-a-Bhainne
What does Allt-a-Bhainne mean?
Gaelic for milk burn.
Who owns Allt-a-Bhainne?
Chivas Brothers, part of Pernod Ricard.
When was Allt-a-Bhainne built?
1975, by Seagram.
Is Allt-a-Bhainne peated?
Mostly not. It runs occasional heavily peated batches.
Can you visit Allt-a-Bhainne?
No. It is not open to the public.
Sources, references and photo credits
The mothballing is dated 2002 by Wikipedia and 2003 by Scotchwhisky.com. Capacity is about 4 million litres in The Single Cask and 4.2 million litres in Scotchwhisky.com. Chivas Brothers' own page was not loaded for this profile.
Cover image: Allt-a-Bhainne Distillery via Wikimedia Commons.
Featured image: original Allt-a-Bhainne distillery photograph from the Whisky Clan Wix media library. Attribution and correction requests are welcome.
About the author
 | Filip Janczak Storyteller, drinker and explorer of all things whisky. Read more about the person behind Whisky Clan and explore additional reviews and distillery guides. |
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