Allt-a-Bhainne Distillery: The Ben Rinnes Blend Plant

Overview

Allt-à-Bhainne (say “alt-a-vain”, Gaelic for “the milk burn”) is a modern Speyside distillery at the foot of Ben Rinnes, near Dufftown. It was built in 1975 by the Canadian giant Seagram to supply malt for its Chivas Brothers blends. It was one of the first highly automated, computer-controlled distilleries in Scotland. It was mothballed in the early 2000s and reopened in 2005. It now makes a lightly peated Speyside malt, and its first official single malt appeared in 2018.

Where it is

The distillery is in Glenrinnes, on the B9009 between Dufftown (about 4 miles north-east) and Glenlivet, on the eastern slopes of Ben Rinnes. Aberlour is about 6 miles north and Elgin about 20 miles.

The full history

1975: Seagram’s modern distillery

In the 1970s, Seagram, then the world’s largest drinks company, needed more Speyside malt for Chivas Regal and its other blends. Allt-à-Bhainne was one of several distilleries Seagram built. Its design was very modern, but its roof was given a nod to the traditional pagoda shape of Speyside kilns. Inside, much of the process was computer-controlled, so a very small team could run it.

Mothballed and reopened

Seagram’s drinks business was sold in 2001, and Chivas Brothers passed to Pernod Ricard. Allt-à-Bhainne was mothballed in 2002–03 and reopened in 2005.

Peated Speyside and the first bottling

In recent years the distillery has made a lightly peated spirit for part of each year, unusual for Speyside. The first official single malt, a no-age-statement release using that peated spirit, appeared in 2018. Before then, Allt-à-Bhainne was known almost only through independent bottlings.

How it’s made

Allt-à-Bhainne runs four stills, two wash and two spirit, with a capacity of about 4.2 million litres a year, though sources differ slightly. Water comes from springs on Ben Rinnes. The spirit is light and fruity, with gentle smoke in the peated runs, and goes mainly into Chivas Brothers blends.

Clans & the land

• The Gordons: Glenrinnes and Glenlivet were Gordon country. In 1594 the Gordon Earl of Huntly beat a royal army at the Battle of Glenlivet, a few miles south-west. See Clan Gordon.
• The Grants held Strathspey to the west. See Clan Grant.
• Balvenie Castle, by Dufftown, was held by the Comyns, then the Douglases and the Stewart Earls of Atholl.

Hills, churches & stones

• Ben Rinnes (841 m) rises right above the distillery. The path from Glack Harnes reaches the summit tors in about 2 hours, with views to the Moray Firth.
• Mortlach Kirk, Dufftown: an ancient church site with the Pictish Battle Stone. See our standing stones guide.
• There are no lochs in Glenrinnes, only the burns that give the distillery its name. See our lochs guide.

Glenlivet: smugglers’ country

The glens south of the distillery were once the most famous smuggling country in Scotland. In the early 19th century, Glenlivet had hundreds of illicit stills, and its whisky was so prized that many legal distilleries later added “Glenlivet” to their names. After the Excise Act of 1823, George Smith took out the first licence in the glen in 1824, founding The Glenlivet. The Glenlivet Estate, now run by Crown Estate Scotland, has waymarked walks and cycle routes, including a Smugglers’ Trail following the old routes used to carry whisky past the excisemen. Further south, Tomintoul, at about 345 metres, is one of the highest villages in the Highlands and a gateway to the Cairngorms National Park.

Visiting

Allt-à-Bhainne is production only, with no visitor centre or tours. Nearby Dufftown has Glenfiddich and Balvenie to visit.

Nearby distilleries

• Glenfiddich, Balvenie, Mortlach and Dufftown (about 4 miles).
• Benrinnes and Dailuaine (about 5 miles).
• The Glenlivet (about 8 miles), with tours.
• Braeval and Tomintoul (about 12 miles).

The Speyside Whisky Trail and the whisky hub cover the region.

Sources

• Allt-à-Bhainne distillery — Wikipedia.
• Scotchwhisky.com: Allt-a-Bhainne.