Cragganmore Distillery, Ballindalloch: The Connoisseur’s Classic Malt

Overview

Cragganmore, at Ballindalloch on the Spey, makes one of the most complex malts in Speyside. When United Distillers picked six single malts to represent Scotland’s regions as the Classic Malts in 1988, Cragganmore was its choice for Speyside. It is rich and layered, with honey, dried fruit and a faint smoke, and the 12-year-old is the standard bottling.

The distillery is still working, but Diageo has closed its brand home to visitors and now sends people to Cardhu, about 7 miles away.

Where it is

Cragganmore sits just off the A95 at Ballindalloch, where the River Avon joins the Spey, about 12 miles south-west of Aberlour and 14 miles north-east of Grantown-on-Spey. Ballindalloch Castle, home of the Macpherson-Grants, is under a mile away. Glenfarclas and the estate’s own Ballindalloch Distillery are close by. The old railway line beside the distillery is now part of the Speyside Way walking route.

Address: Cragganmore Distillery, Ballindalloch AB37 9AB.

The full history

1869: John Smith and the railway

Cragganmore was founded in 1869 by John Smith, one of the most experienced distillers of his day. He had already managed Macallan, Glenlivet and Glenfarclas, and he chose this site for two reasons: the Craggan Burn for water, and the new Strathspey Railway, which ran right past. He leased the land from Sir George Macpherson-Grant of Ballindalloch and built a private siding, so barley came in and whisky went out by train. Cragganmore was among the first distilleries built with a railway in mind. The story goes that Smith was so large he could not fit through a carriage door and had to travel in the guard’s van.

The Smiths, then White Horse

After John Smith, the distillery passed to his brother George and then to his son Gordon. When Gordon died, his widow Mary Jane Smith sold it in 1923 to the new Cragganmore-Glenlivet Distillery Co., owned half by Peter Mackie of White Horse whisky and half by the Ballindalloch estate. Mackie’s share later went to the Distillers Company. The Macpherson-Grant family kept their 50% until 1965.

Classic Malt

Under DCL, then United Distillers, Cragganmore was mostly a blending malt. In 1988 it was chosen as the Speyside member of the Classic Malts, alongside Dalwhinnie, Glenkinchie, Lagavulin, Oban and Talisker. That made the 12-year-old widely known. The Distillers Edition, finished in port casks, followed. Cragganmore has been part of Diageo since 1997. A visitor centre opened in 2002; it is now closed, and the malts.com page confirms visits have moved to Cardhu.

How it’s made

Cragganmore has two wash stills and two spirit stills, with a capacity of about 1.5 million litres a year. The spirit stills are short and have flat tops instead of the usual swan neck, a shape John Smith chose and one that is very unusual in Scotland. The flat top causes some vapour to condense and fall back, while the short height lets heavier flavours through, which is part of why the spirit is so complex. The vapour is cooled in traditional worm tubs outside the still house, which give a heavier, more sulphury new spirit that softens into richness in the cask. The water is the Craggan Burn.

Clans & the land

Cragganmore was built on the Ballindalloch estate, home of the Macpherson-Grants since the 16th century, and the family part-owned the distillery for more than forty years. Strathspey is old Clan Grant country. Ballindalloch Castle, a short walk away, is open to visitors in season and is still lived in by the family.

Visiting

Cragganmore is closed to visitors. Diageo directs people to the Cardhu brand home at Knockando, which is open seven days a week. Nearby, Glenfarclas and Ballindalloch Distillery both welcome visitors, and Ballindalloch Castle makes a good half-day with its gardens and riverside walks. Walkers on the Speyside Way pass right by the distillery.

Nearby distilleries

• Ballindalloch: the estate’s own small farm distillery, opened in 2014.
• Glenfarclas: a few miles north-east, family-owned and open to visit. John Smith once ran it.
• Cardhu, Knockando and Tamdhu: a cluster across the Spey at Knockando.
• Aberlour and The Macallan: down the A95 towards Craigellachie.

Our Speyside Whisky Trail covers Ballindalloch and Glenfarclas. The whisky hub covers every region in Scotland.

Sources

• Cragganmore distillery — Wikipedia.
• Malts.com — Cragganmore (closure notice).