Glengoyne Distillery

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Glengoyne Distillery is a whisky distillery constantly in operation considering its founding in 1833 at Dumgoyne, north of Glasgow, Scotland. Glengoyne is precise in producing Highland unmarried malt whisky matured withinside the Lowlands. Located upon the Highland Line, the department among the Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland, Glengoyne’s stills are withinside the Highlands even as maturing casks of whisky relaxation throughout the street withinside the Lowlands.

In the early 19th century, many whiskey producers were forced to operate illegally due to high government taxes on spirits production. The Glengoyne area was full of rolling hills and forest that provided excellent cover for stills. Records show at least eighteen illegal whiskey stills operating in the area. In the 1820s an Act of Parliament was passed reducing the cost of the license required to distill and the cost of selling paying tax lowered spirits.

Shortly after the enactment of the Excise Act of 1823 (or “Walsh Act”), the first of these illegal stills officially came into existence, followed by Glengoyne later in 1833.  Although Glengoyne officially dates back to 1833 and no records exist before that date, it is believed that distillation at the site predates this, as a local historian wrote that smoke from the ‘illegal stills’ was visible within of the area at the beginning of the 19th century.

In 1833, The distillery began distilling known as the Burnfoot Distillery. It was originally owned by George Connell who built the distillery and leased the surrounding land on which a warehouse was built which is still in use today. In 1876 Archiball G. MacLellen sold the distillery to the Glasgow-based Lang brothers.

It is said that the Langs intended to name the distillery Glengoyne but due to staff error it was registered as GlenGuin. 1894 or 1905 she was born in Glengoyne changed, which comes from “Glenguin” or “Glen of the Wild Geese”. The distillery remained with the Lang Brothers in 1965, when it was taken over by the Robertson & Baxter Group, which later became the Edrington Group. In 1966 and 1967 the number of stills increased from two to three as the distillery underwent a remodeling project.

In 1984 the Lang brothers became whiskey suppliers to the then Queen Mother, the House of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. The Royal Warrant has since been delegated to Ian Macleod and is included on all Glengoyne products.

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