Found 5 miles south of Aberlour, Glenfarclas is a rare beast among Scottish distilleries in that it remains family owned.
The distillery was founded in 1836 by Robert Hay and, on his death in 1865, was bought over by father and son, John and George Grant for £511.19s.0d. John Grant left in 1870 to establish Cragganmore nearby and the lease was passed down to his son and has been operated by the Grant family ever since.
Uniquely, Glenfarclas use the "direct-firing" method of heating their stills, i.e. using gas burners, whereas most distillieries these days heat their stills indirectly by means of steam. Once distilled, the new make spirit is predominantly racked into second fill ex-Oloroso sherry butts.
In March 2006 Glenfarclas was named Distiller of the Year by Whisky Magazine “for being consistently good and staying true to its core values” - a statement that we think rings true today.