Glencraig

Glencraig is a single malt that was only produced between 1958 and 1981 in Speyside, Scotland at Glenburgie distillery. It was used in the Ballantine's blend. With only 23 years of distillation and no official releases, Glencraig is rarely bottled, extremely rare and highly collectable.    

The number of people that have tasted Glencraig is small due to its rarity, so defining its style is difficult. A number of accounts described an aged example as "sweet and fruity with a spicy edge and orange peel aromas".    

The production of Glencraig single malt was through Lomond stills at Glenburgie distillery. These were developed in the mid-1950s by Alastair Cunningham and Arthur Warren of the Hiram Walker company. The design features a combination of a copper pot and column still with adjustable plates that make different styles of spirit.

Named after the Loch Lomond distillery where they were first installed, Lomond stills have fallen out of favour in the 1980s. Only three Scottish distilleries use them for some or all of their production today - Bruichladdich, Inchdairnie and Loch Lomond. Other production details for Glencraig are unavailable due to the time since its closure.   

The production of Glencraig started in 1958 at Glenburgie distillery after a Lomond wash and still were installed by Hiram Walker. The distillery is located close to the town of Forres in Speyside. Glencraig was named after Willie Craig, the Production Director at Hiram Walker.

Glencraig was produced for 23 years until its closure in 1981. The Lomond stills had proved inconsistent and unreliable. They were replaced with conventional copper pot stills as Hiram Walker expanded single malt production at Glenburgie.

Most of the last remaining stock is owned by Chivas Brothers, part of the larger Pernod Ricard group. This has historically been used in rare expressions of Ballantine's and Chivas Regal. Independent bottlers are the only other source. Old, limited edition or cask strength releases have come from Duncan Taylor, Gordon & Macphail and Signatory Vintage.