Glenburgie

Sitting just off the A96 between Forres and Alves, Glenburgie is a quiet powerhouse on Speyside, an essential ingredient in one of the world’s biggest blends, yet often overlooked as a single malt in its own right. 

Founded in 1810 as Kilnflat and later revived as Glenburgie, the distillery has seen multiple closures and rebuilds across its two-century history. Its most significant transformation came in the early 2000s, when the entire site was rebuilt, retaining only the original stills.

Inside the Glenburgie distillery in October 2024. 

Today, Glenburgie is owned by Chivas Brothers (Pernod Ricard) and much of its production goes straight into the Ballantine’s blend. It produces around five million litres of alcohol per year, making it one of the region’s substantial producers. Although there is no public visitor centre, it welcomes the occasional private tour by private arrangement, and the old Customs House (still filled with casks) is a highlight for those lucky enough to be shown around.

EWA Advanced Diploma students outside the Customs House at Glenburgie on a tour in October 2024. 

House Style

Glenburgie’s spirit is known for its sweet, fruity character; a backbone flavour for Ballantine’s and now increasingly appreciated in its own right. As Vic Cameron notes in the video, the distillery is prized for its “very fruity new make spirit,” which provides bright, jammy top notes to blends and single malts alike.

American oak maturation amplifies this character. Expect orchard fruit, vanilla, honeyed sweetness and the creamy, custard-like notes that Speyside fans love. Tasting the 15-year-old, Vic describes it as “almost like crème brûlée,” calling it a “great example of an accessible, full-bodied, sweet, fruity Speyside.”

Core Range & Current Releases

For years Glenburgie was rarely seen as a single malt, its character reserved for blending. That shifted when Chivas began releasing distillery-label bottlings into travel retail, alongside fellow “Ballantine’s malts” like Miltonduff. Today, the Glenburgie 15-year-old is positioned as the entry point to the range; a classic Speyside expression matured in American oak, and a strong showcase of the distillery’s natural fruit-forward style.