Who Owns What? Slàinte Mhath Keith Wood In the complex corporate world of distillery ownership, take-overs and the odd selling of a distillery back into private ownership, have you ever wondered just who owns which distilleries? This feature page of Whisky Emporium lists all the Scottish & Irish distilleries and their brands from my tasting notes page, focusing on single malts and grain whisky. I have future plans to update the information given here and I will also attempt to keep this ownership list up to date. USA (bourbon) coming soon! Scottish single malt & grain distilleries Independently owned Distillery & main brand Other whisky brands produced by the distillery Capacity Adelphi Ardnamurchan unknown Andrew Symington Edradour 90,000 Angus Dundee Glencadam 1,500,000 Tomintoul 3,000,000 BenRiach Distillery Company (Billy Walker) BenRiach 2,400,000 GlenDronach 1,300,000 Glenglassaugh 1,000,000 Francis & Ian Cuthbert Daftmill 65,000 Gordon & MacPhail BenRomach 500,000 Ian MacLeod Distillers Glengoyne 1,100,000 Tamdhu reopening Isle of Arran Distillers Arran 750,000 J&A Mitchell Springbank Hazelburn, Longrow, Springbank 750,000 Glengyle Kilkerran unknown J&G Grant Glenfarclas 3,000,000 John Clotsworthy (Drumchork Hotel) Loch Ewe 20,000 Kilchoman Distillery Company Limited Kilchoman 90,000 Mark Tayburn Abhainn Dearg 20,000 David Prior Bladnoch 250,000 * Speyside Distillers Company Limited The Speyside Cú Dhub, Drumguish, Glentromie 600,000 Tomatin Distillery Company Limited Tomatin 5,000,000 Tullibardine Distillery Company Limited Tullibardine 2,500,000 William Grant & Sons Ailsa Bay 6,000,000 Convalmore (Diageo owns the 'Brand') Closed 1985 Glenfiddich 10,000,000 Kininvie 4,800,000 Ladyburn Ladyburn & (Rare) Ayrshire Closed 1976 Demolished. The Balvenie 5,600,000 Girvan Grain distillery 15,000,000 1887 Company, Highland Distillers, Edrington Capacity Glenrothes 5,600,000 Glenturret 340,000 Highland Park 2,500,000 The Macallan 8,000,000 Bacardi (distilleries run under "J. Dewar & Sons" name) Capacity Aberfeldy 2,100,000 Aultmore 2,100,000 Craigellachie 2,700,000 Glen Deveron / Macduff Glen Deveron & MacDuff brands 2,400,000 Royal Brackla 2,500,000 Beam Suntory Capacity Ardmore 4,200,000 Auchentoshan 1,650,000 Bowmore 2,000,000 Glen Garioch 1,000,000 Laphroaig 2,400,000 Burn Stewart (Burn Stewart now owned by "Distel") Capacity Bunnahabhain 2,500,000 Deanston 3,000,000 Tobermory Tobermory & Ledaig brands 1,000,000 Campari Capacity Glen Grant 5,900,000 Diageo Diageo is the undisputed giant of Scottish distilleries thanks to a series of mergers and acquisitions throughout many years. Diageo was ultimately formed in 1997 when Grand Metropolitan and Guinness merged, but when it comes to whisky distilleries, there are many other mergers which have helped form the list of owned distilleries today. Some of Diageo's distilleries were owned by SMD (Scottish Malt Distillers) which were acquired by DCL, but in 1987 when DCL & Arthur Bell merged a new company called UD (United Distillers) was created. Then in 1997 UD merged with Internetional Distillers & Vintners to create UDV (United Distillers & Vintners). These are now part of Diageo although I am listing them here under the individual companies. SMD (Scottish Malt Distillers) Capacity Hillside Hillside & Glen Esk brands produced Closed 1985 Port Ellen Closed 1983, only maltings remain St. Magdalene St. Magdalene & Linlithgow brands Closed 1983 DCL Banff Closed 1983, demolished Brora Closed 1983 Coleburn Closed 1985 Dallas Dhu Closed 1983, license revoked 1992 Glen Albyn Closed 1983, demolished Glenlochy Closed 1983 Glen Mhor Closed 1983, demolished Glenury Royal Closed 1985, demolished Millburn Closed 1985, demolished North Port / Brechin North Port & brechin brands produced Closed 1983, demolished Rosebank Closed 1983 UD (United Distillers) Capacity Pittyvaich Closed 1993, demolished UDV Capacity Auchroisk 3,100,000 Benrinnes 2,600,000 Blair Athol 2,000,000 Caol Ila 3,600,000 Cardhu 2,300,000 Clynelish 3,400,000 Cragganmore 1,600,000 Dailuaine 3,200,000 Dalwhinnie 1,300,000 Dufftown Dufftown & Singleton brands produced 4,000,000 Glendullan 3,700,000 Glen Elgin Glen Elgin & Old Elgin brands produced 1,800,000 Glenkinchie 1,700,000 Glenlossie 2,140,000 Glen Ord 5,000,000 Glen Spey 1,390,000 Inchgower 2,200,000 Knockando 1,290,000 Lagavulin 2,400,000 Linkwood 2,300,000 Mannochmore Mannochmore & Loch Dhu brands 3,220,000 Mortlach 2,910,000 Oban 700,000 Royal Lochnagar 400,000 Strathmill 1,700,000 Talisker 1,900,000 Teaninich 4,000,000 Caledonian Grain distillery closed Cambus Grain distillery closed 1993 Cameron Bridge Grain distillery 30,000,000 Port Dundas Grain distillery Closing 2010 Diageo New distilleries opened under Diageo Roseisle 10,000,000 Inver House (Pacific Spirits) Capacity Balblair 1,330,000 Balmenach 2,000,000 Knockdhu Knockdhu & An Cnoc brands produced. 900,000 Moffat Glen Flagler, Killyloch. Garnheath (grain) Closed. Pulteney Old Pulteney 3,000,000 Speyburn 2,700,000 La Martiniquaise Capacity Glen Moray 2,000,000 Starlaw Grain whisky unknown Loch Lomond Distillery Company Capacity Glen Scotia 1,000,000 Littlemill Littlemill & Dunglass brands Closed 1984 Loch Lomond Craiglodge, Croftengea, Glen Douglas, Inchfad, Inchmoan, Inchmurrin, Old Rhosdhu brands produced. 12,000,000 ** Loch Lomond Grain whisky incl. in above figures LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey) Capacity Ardbeg 1,000,000 Glenmorangie 6,000,000 Nikka Capacity Ben Nevis 2,000,000 North British Distillery Company Ltd owned by 'Lothian Distillers' a 50-50 joint venture of Edrington & Diageo Capacity North British Grain distillery 64,000,000 North of Scotland Distilling Company Ltd North of Scotland / Strathmore Grain distillery Closed 1980 Pernod Ricard (Chivas Brothers / Allied Domecq / Long John) Capacity Aberlour 3,500,000 Allt á Bhainne 4,000,000 Braeval Braeval & Braes of Glenlivet brands. 4,000,000 Caperdonich Closed, demolished 2010 Glenallachie 2,800,000 Glenburgie Glenburgie & Glencraig brands. 4,200,000 Glen Keith Mothballed 1999, reopened June 2013 6,000,000 Glentauchers 3,400,000 Imperial Closed Inverleven Closed, demolished Lochside (Allied Domecq) Closed 1992, demolished Longmorn 3,500,000 MiltonDuff MiltonDuff & Mosstowie brands. 5,240,000 Scapa 1,200,000 Strathisla 2,400,000 The Glenlivet 8,500,000 Tormore 3,600,000 Dumbarton Grain distillery Mothballed, Closed 2002 Strathclyde Grain distillery 40,000,000 Remy Cointreau (Bruichladdich Distillery Company) Capacity Bruichladdich Also Octomore & Port Charlotte brands 1,500,000 United Spirits (Whyte & Mackay / Invergordon Distillers) Capacity Ben Wyvis Closed 1977 Dalmore 3,200,000 Fettercairn 1,600,000 Isle of Jura 2,500,000 Tamnavulin 4,000,000 Invergordon Grain distillery 40,000,000 Whitbread & Co. Ltd (From when they owned Long John) Capacity Glenugie Closed 1983, demolished Strathclyde / Kinclaith Kinclaith stills in Strathclyde distillery Kinclaith dismantled. Footnotes to Scottish distilleries Distillery capacity is specified in maximum litres of pure alcohol per year * UDV sales contract to Raymond Armstrong limits output to 250,000, some even say 100,000. Theoretical Max is nearer 1,300,000 ** I've found many capacity figures for Loch lomond distillery, incl. 2.5m 4m & 12m litres. I have accepted 12m from Wikipedia & MM sites Irish distilleries Beam Global (Cooley distillery) Capacity Riverstown (Cooley) Connemara, Greenore, Kilbeggan, Locke's, Tyrconnel 4,500,000 (Malt & Grain) Kilbeggan Only Kilbeggan distillery reserve expression for now. Diageo Capacity Bushmills Bushmills & Coleraine 4,500,000 (Malt) Pernod Ricard (Irish Distillers Ltd) Capacity Midleton Jameson, Midleton, Paddy, Powers & Redbreast 30,000,000 (PPS, Grain & Malt) PPS = Pure Pot Still USA (Bourbon) distilleries (coming soon) © Copyright 2009-2020 by Keith Wood - All rights reserved - Whisky-Emporium