Glen Keith Distillery: History, Owner, Range and Visitor Guide
Updated: 2 days ago
Glen Keith is a Chivas Brothers distillery in Keith, Moray. It was the first new Speyside distillery built after the 1898 Pattison crash, it served for decades as an experimental plant for Seagram and Chivas, and it reopened in 2013 after fourteen silent years. This profile covers its history, owner, production and visitor status.
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Glen Keith at a glance
Distillery fact | Verified detail |
|---|---|
Location | Keith, Speyside |
Region | Speyside, Scotland |
Founded / established | late 1950s, dates vary by source |
Owner | Chivas Brothers / Pernod Ricard |
Bottles documented | 2 named expressions in Whisky Clan's bottle database |
Visiting | See visitor information in the original research below. Check official opening and booking details before travelling. |
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Glen Keith history, people and production
Where is Glen Keith distillery?
Glen Keith is in the town of Keith in Moray, on the site of a former meal mill directly behind the older Strathisla distillery. The address is Glen Keith Distillery, Station Road, Keith, Moray, AB55 5BU.
Glen Keith history
Scotchwhisky.com explains that rising sales of Chivas Regal in the 1950s led Sam Bronfman of Seagram to want another distillery to supply Chivas, Passport and 100 Pipers. Wikipedia describes Glen Keith as the first new distillery to open in Speyside since the 1898 crash.
1957 to 1960: built by Seagram.
1970: two more stills added, with production switched from triple to double distillation, according to Wikipedia. Scotchwhisky.com says the stills became direct gas fired at this point.
1994: a 10 year old is released, according to Scotchwhisky.com.
1999: mothballed.
2001: Pernod Ricard takes over Chivas Brothers.
2013: reopens after a complete refit that brought a new mash tun and washbacks.
The distillery also made peated malt under the Glenisla name, and Wikipedia adds Craigduff. Scotchwhisky.com says Glen Keith was the first distillery to use gas fired direct heating, and that it ran trials with a wheat mash and different yeast types. All its stills are now steam driven.
How Glen Keith makes its whisky
Scotchwhisky.com lists a Briggs lauter mash tun, 15 washbacks (nine wood and six stainless steel), a fermentation of 55 hours, a filling strength of 63.5% and new make strength of 69.3%. The malt is unpeated. It gives the water source as the Crossburn and Newmill Springs. The Single Cask names springs on Balloch Hill and cooling water from the River Isla.
Who owns Glen Keith?
Chivas Brothers, part of Pernod Ricard, which acquired the business from Seagram in 2001.
Glen Keith range
Glen Keith has never been a front line single malt. Scotchwhisky.com notes a 10 year old and occasional independent bottlings. The Single Cask adds a 1983 vintage release and a Distillery Edition in 2017. No ABVs for current official releases were found in the sources used.
Visiting Glen Keith
Glen Keith is not open to the public. The Single Cask points visitors to Strathisla in Keith, which runs tours.
Where the sources differ
Completion is given as 1958 or 1960 depending on the source. Glen Keith's water source is named differently by Scotchwhisky.com and The Single Cask. Scotchwhisky.com's timeline says five stills were operational at the 2013 reopening, while its facts list three wash and three spirit stills. Chivas Brothers' own page was not loaded for this profile.
Glen Keith whisky bottle range and cask comparison
Here are named expressions documented from producer or specialist sources, including the available age and ABV. A missing strength is deliberately left as 'Check bottle' rather than estimated.
Bottle / expression | Age | ABV | Cask maturation / notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Glen Keith 21 Year Old Secret Speyside | 21 years | Check bottle | Official Secret Speyside age-stated release |
Glen Keith 25 Year Old Secret Speyside | 25 years | Check bottle | Official Secret Speyside limited release |
Bottle range update: source-documented expressions are listed alongside the original research. Historic and limited releases are not live stock guarantees.
Rare, limited and historic releases
These special bottlings may be sold out or available only through collectors. They are separate from the standard distillery range.
Bottle / expression | Age | ABV | Cask maturation / notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Glen Keith 28 Year Old Secret Speyside | 28 years | Check label | Historic official 2020 single malt release |
Regular and rare releases are distinguished in the Whisky Bottles database; a historical catalogue listing does not prove current availability.
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Frequently asked questions about Glen Keith
Where is Glen Keith distillery?
In Keith, Moray, behind Strathisla.
Who owns Glen Keith?
Chivas Brothers, part of Pernod Ricard.
When did Glen Keith reopen?
2013, after being mothballed in 1999.
Is Glen Keith peated?
Current production is unpeated. It made peated malt under the Glenisla name in the past.
Can you visit Glen Keith?
No. It is not open to the public.
Sources and photographic credits
Cover image: Glen Keith Distillery, geograph.org.uk via Wikimedia Commons.
Featured photograph: original credited image from the Whisky Clan distillery media library. If you own this image and would like the attribution updated, please contact Whisky Clan.
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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