Convalmore

Convalmore is a closed Speyside distillery that once stood in the Fiddich glen near Dufftown. It was named after the Conval Hills from whence it drew its water.

The distillery was forced to close as a result of the 1980s whisky slump. Many of its buildings are still standing and some are used by William Grant & Sons as warehousing.

Convalmore was one of the famous “seven stills of Dufftown".    

The Convalmore single malt was waxy and sweet, fruity and malty. Many tasting notes describe a whiff of smoke.    

For most of its life, Convalmore produced spirit for blended Scotch brands like Buchanan’s, Lowrie's and Black & White.

Following a devastating fire in 1909, the distillery was rebuilt by James Buchanan & Co. The new build was designed as an experimental distillery and column stills were installed. Though more commonly associated with grain whisky, the column stills at Convalmore were used to produce a malt spirit.

There have only been a few official bottlings of the Convalmore malt. The first was a Rare Malts bottling in 2003. That was followed in 2005 by a 1977 28-year-old, bottled at cask strength. A 32-year-old 1984 vintage featured in Diageo's 2017 Special Releases collection.

Independents like Signatory and Cadenhead’s have also released limited bottlings. In 2015, Gordon & MacPhail bottled a 39-year-old, distilled in 1975.

Since the distillery’s closure, the brand has remained with Diageo. The site, however, is owned by William Grant & Sons and is now used to mature Glenfiddich and Balvenie.       

The distillery was built by the Convalmore-Glenlivet Distillery Co Ltd in 1894. It was the fourth to be built in Dufftown, after Mortlach, Glenfiddich and Balvenie.

At that time, Scotch whisky was booming but there was trouble on the horizon. By the turn of the century, the industry had crashed and several distillers were forced out of business.

Somehow, Convalmore escaped the worst of it. In 1904, the distillery was sold to W. & P. Lowrie and a year later, it was taken over by James Buchanan & Co. Buchanan’s were one of the few businesses to thrive in the uncertain times of the early 20th century. 

In 1909, the distillery was almost completely destroyed in a devastating fire. Witnesses described flames that reached 30 to 40 feet in height. Water from the River Fiddich was used to quell the blaze, aided by heavy snowfall.

Buchanan’s rebuilt Convalmore and installed a column still with which they would create a new style of malt whisky. However, the experiment wasn’t much of a success, it seems. By 1916, the column still had been removed and within a few years, the site became one of many Buchanan’s distilleries to be absorbed by DCL.

Expansion in 1964 saw capacity doubled and a dark grains plant constructed next door. Sadly, however, the distillery wasn’t to survive much longer. The Scotch whisky industry went into a catastrophic slump in the 1980s and Convalmore was deemed surplus to requirements. The distillery was mothballed in 1985.

In 1990, the site was sold to William Grant & Sons. The warehouses remain in use today. However, there are no plans to bring the distillery back to life.