Dailuaine Distillery, Carron: The Big Blend Malt off Ben Rinnes
Dailuaine at a glance
| Region | Speyside (Carron, Moray) |
| Founded | 1852 |
| Owner | Diageo |
| Visitor centre | No — production-only |
| Tours | No public tours |
| Opening | Not open to the public |
| Website | malts.com |
Overview
Dailuaine (“the green vale”), at Carron on the Spey, is a large Diageo distillery making a rich, meaty malt for the Johnnie Walker blends. It has a place in industrial history as the first distillery in Scotland to be fitted with a pagoda-roofed malt kiln, the design that became the signature of Scotch distilleries everywhere.
The history
Dailuaine was founded in 1852 by the local farmer William Mackenzie and grew into one of the largest distilleries in the Highlands by the end of the 19th century. It has long been a blending malt.
The water & the land
Dailuaine draws on the Bailliemullich Burn, flowing off Ben Rinnes.
Dailuaine had no founding clan — it was farmer William Mackenzie’s commercial venture at Carron, on the Grant lands of Strathspey.
Visiting
Dailuaine is not open to the public — it is a working production distillery. Its whisky appears mainly in blends and in occasional official or independent single-malt bottlings.
Nearby & more whisky
- Also on Ben Rinnes: Benrinnes
- Its Carron neighbour: Dalmunach
- The whole picture: Scotch whisky — the full guide
Sources
- Dailuaine distillery — Wikipedia.
- Diageo; Whisky.com.