Location: Next to the ruins of Balvenie castle.

Visitors Centre: N/A

The Whisky
Balvenie is unusual in having its own maltings and growing (some of) its own barley. It also has its own coppersmith's shop and cooperage (which it shares with Glenfiddich), and eight stills, which have much longer necks than those at its sister distillery. It matures its product in situ - partly in new wood, partly in fino sherry casks and partly in Oloroso casks (the latter are used for the final year's maturation only) - and both expressions are bottled in most elegant flasks.

The unique label-shape of the Balvenie Classic is supposed to echo the doors of the distillery's peat kiln.

The Distillery
In 1892, five years after building the Glenfiddich Distillery, William Grant bought the ground adjacent to it and built a second distillery. It's nucleus was 'new' Balvenie Castle, which had been designed by James Gibb and built in 1724 for the first Earl of Fife in the Adam style.

In 1673 the castle was bought by Alexander Duff of Braco, who gave his name to nearby Dufftown and whose descendants became Earls of Fife.