Dalmunach

Dalmunach is one of the newest and most modern distilleries in Scotland. It was commissioned by Pernod Ricard, owner of Chivas Brothers, to produce spirit for their blended Scotch brands. The distillery stands on the banks of the River Spey. Imperial Distillery was demolished to make way for the new build.

The whisky has a classic Speyside flavour profile with lots of fruity esters. Creamy vanilla notes, toffee and ginger spice are common tasting notes in the mature whisky.

The distillery’s contemporary design is said to resemble a sheaf of barley when viewed from above. The plans featured a number of modern innovations including temperature-controlled washbacks and an advanced heat-recovery system. The building won the Royal Institute of British Architects Award for Scotland in 2015.

The design and construction were overseen by Pernod Ricard’s production director Douglas Cruickshank. Having started his career, aged 15, at Imperial, Cruickshank ensured the new design paid homage to the original distillery. The stills were of a similar shape and Oregon pine from the washbacks was used to clad interior walls. Redbrick from the original Mill was used to make a feature wall at the entranceway.

Sixteen washbacks and eight pot stills are arranged in a circular fashion around the room. At the centre is an impressive octagonal spirit safe, complete with a waterfall feature.

The distillery is capable of producing 10 million litres of alcohol each year. It is the 15^th distillery in Pernod Ricard’s Chivas Brothers portfolio and boosted the company’s overall production capacity by 10%.

The majority of the distillery’s whisky matures in first-fill and refill American oak hogsheads. A small number of other cask varieties, including ex-sherry butts, also feature.

Dalmunach’s whisky contributes to the likes of Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s and Royal Salute. The first single malt was released in 2019 as part of Chivas’ Distillery Reserve Collection. The 4-year-old malt was bottled at 64.5% and retailed for £45. Only 348 bottles were made available exclusively from Chivas distilleries.

The location has been home to a distillery since 1897. Imperial Distillery spent much of its life supplying spirit for blends like Teacher’s, Ballantine’s and Old Smuggler but the industry downturn of the 1980s brought production to a halt. When Pernod Ricard acquired Chivas Brothers in 2000, they decided to off-load the premises. Plans were made to build flats on the site but no offer was forthcoming.

Imperial lay dormant until 2013 when a boom in whisky made Pernod consider an increase in their capacity. By then, Imperial was in need of drastic refurbishment and it was deemed more cost-effective to demolish and build again. Plans to retain the original name were abandoned in favour of establishing a new identity. The distillery was named Dalmunach, after a nearby pool in the River Spey, which flowed alongside.

Work began in 2013 and the first spirit run took place the following year. The completed distillery was opened by the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, in 2015.

Built to supply spirit for Chivas’ blends, official single malt bottlings have been extremely limited. However, some independently bottled expressions have started to appear. Notably, Duncan Taylor bottled a 2016 vintage as part of their Octave series.