Glenturret Distillery: History, Owner, Range and Visitor Guide
Updated: 21 hours ago
The Glenturret stands in a hollow called The Hosh, just outside Crieff in Perthshire. It claims to be Scotland's oldest working distillery, it was rebuilt in 1959 using stills from Tullibardine, and since 2018 it has been owned by a company backed by Lalique. This guide covers where it is, its history, who owns it, how it is made, the range and how to visit.
In this guide
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Glenturret at a glance
Distillery fact | Verified detail |
|---|---|
Distillery / brand | Glenturret |
Whisky region | Highland, Scotland |
Ownership (October 2026) | Glenturret Limited; Silvio Denz is its controlling shareholder |
History | Licensed production dates to 1818; claims of earlier origins are debated. |
Expressions to explore | The Glenturret Triple Wood and The Glenturret 12 Year Old |
Visiting / editorial note | The official site offers distillery tours, a whisky or cocktail flight, a Dram Bar open daily from 11am and a Lalique Bar open Thursday to Saturday from 12pm. |
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Where is Glenturret Distillery?
The Glenturret Distillery is at The Hosh, Crieff, Perthshire, postcode PH7 4HA, in the Highlands. The telephone number listed is +44 1764 656565.
Glenturret at a glance
Region: Highland, Perthshire
Licensed distilling: 1818, by John Drummond
Owner: Glenturret Holding, a venture of the Lalique Group and Hansjorg Wyss
Mash tun: 1 tonne of grist
Washbacks: wooden
Peated make: Ruadh Mhor, "Big Red"
Visitor centre: yes, with a distillery tour, a Dram Bar and a Lalique restaurant
The story of Glenturret
The Glenturret says it is Scotland's oldest working distillery. ScotchWhisky.com notes that the claim does not stand up to much scrutiny. An illicit still known as The Hosh is said to have operated on the site in the 1770s, but licensed distilling started in 1818 when John Drummond began making whisky.
John McCallum took over the licence in 1852. In 1875 Thomas Stewart changed the name from The Hosh to Glenturret, taking the name from a nearby distillery that had failed 20 years earlier. Mitchell Brothers took over in 1907. The distillery closed in 1923 and was dismantled in 1928.
In the late 1950s James Fairlie rebuilt a plant inside the old buildings. He bought the stills and mash tun from Tullibardine and restarted production in 1959 or 1960 (the two sources differ slightly). The Fairlies saw the potential of whisky tourism and opened a visitor centre, the second distillery to do so.
Remy Cointreau owned Glenturret from 1981 and Highland Distillers from 1990. Edrington took over in 1999 after buying Highland Distillers, and in 2002 built the £2.2 million Famous Grouse Experience visitor centre. In June 2018 Edrington announced Glenturret was for sale, and six months later it was sold to Glenturret Holding, a joint venture between the Lalique Group and the Swiss entrepreneur Hansjorg Wyss.
Who owns Glenturret now?
Glenturret Holding, since 2018 to 2019. Lalique is the luxury goods group behind the Glenturret by Lalique collection and the restaurant on site.
How Glenturret is made
Mashing: a very small mash tun with only 1 tonne of grist, one of the smallest in Scotland
Fermentation: wooden washbacks
Distillation: stills with a rustic look, as ScotchWhisky.com describes them
Peated make: a heavily peated malt called Ruadh Mhor, which under Edrington went into The Famous Grouse Smoky Black
The Glenturret range
The official website lists these releases:
Triple Wood (core release)
12 Years Old (core release)
15 Years Old (core release)
20, 25 and 30 Years Old (2026 release)
Deux Terrains 21 Years Old: limited to 500 hand numbered bottles, finished in Sauternes casks
Remanence (limited edition)
The Glenturret x Jaguar bottlings and The Glenturret by Lalique collection
ABVs were not shown on the pages we read, so check the label. The distillery also sells The Aberturret Gin. ScotchWhisky.com adds that the new owners planned a new range from 2020 under Bob Dalgarno as master blender and Ken Grier as strategic consultant.
Visiting Glenturret
The official site offers distillery tours, a whisky or cocktail flight, a Dram Bar open daily from 11am and a Lalique Bar open Thursday to Saturday from 12pm. The Glenturret Restaurant holds two Michelin stars, led by executive chef Mark Donald, with a tasting menu on Wednesday to Saturday. ScotchWhisky.com lists visitor hours of 10am to 5pm from November to February and 10am to 6pm from March to October. Check ahead for current times and prices.
Sources
Main sources loaded for this post: ScotchWhisky.com Whiskypedia (history, timeline, owners, production facts, contact) and the official Glenturret website (range, visit, restaurant). Not found or not tried: The Single Cask (the Glenturret guide returned 404), Whisky Advocate, Whiskybase and Whisky Magazine. No ABVs were found.
Cover image: Wikimedia Commons.
Glenturret bottle range and expression comparison
Bottle / expression | Age | ABV | Cask maturation / notes |
|---|---|---|---|
The Glenturret Triple Wood | NAS / varies | Check label | Producer and release specifications may change; consult official sources. |
The Glenturret 12 Year Old | 12 years | Check label | Producer and release specifications may change; consult official sources. |
The Glenturret 15 Year Old | 15 years | Check label | Producer and release specifications may change; consult official sources. |
Companies House identifies Silvio Denz as the person with significant control.
More whisky distilleries to explore
Frequently asked questions about Glenturret
Where is Glenturret Distillery?
The Glenturret Distillery is at The Hosh, Crieff, Perthshire, postcode PH7 4HA, in the Highlands. The telephone number listed is +44 1764 656565.
Who owns Glenturret?
Glenturret Limited; Silvio Denz is its controlling shareholder
Which Glenturret whisky expressions are documented?
The Glenturret Triple Wood, The Glenturret 12 Year Old, The Glenturret 15 Year Old. This is a catalogue of documented releases, not a live stock list.
What makes Glenturret distinctive?
The Glenturret stands in a hollow called The Hosh, just outside Crieff in Perthshire. It claims to be Scotland's oldest working distillery, it was rebuilt in 1959 using stills from Tullibardine, and since 2018 it has been owned by a company backed by Lalique.
Can visitors tour Glenturret?
The official site offers distillery tours, a whisky or cocktail flight, a Dram Bar open daily from 11am and a Lalique Bar open Thursday to Saturday from 12pm.
Sources and latest checks
Whisky Clan has retained the original researched history and source notes above. The comparison table lists documented expressions, not guaranteed current stock. Please check the producer's current bottle labels for strength, cask details and availability.
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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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