Strathisla

Strathisla was founded in 1786. This makes it the oldest single malt distillery currently in operation in the Speyside region of Scotland. In fact, it is one of the oldest in the whole of Scotland - only Glenturret (1775) and Bowmore (1779) beat it. Despite modern technology, Strathisla has maintained its traditional look and working practices. The two pagodas and water wheel are no longer in operation, but make Strathisla one of the most picturesque Scotch whisky distilleries. It is a key malt within the hugely popular Chivas Regal range of blended whiskies.

Strathisla has a soft and fruity Speyside style. This gives a creamy and gentle mouth feel with distinctive notes of green apple and pear. The only official bottling is the Strathisla 12 year old. This is widely available. It is a marriage of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks and these accentuate the green fruit characteristics. Otherwise, there are numerous independent bottlings of Strathisla available. One highlight is a super premium range from Gordon & Macphail that features casks from every decade dating back to the 1950s.

However, there are six further distillery bottlings available exclusively from the Chivas Brothers' distillery visitor centres in Scotland. These form part of the wider Distillery Reserve Collection. Three have been matured in ex-bourbon barrels and carry age statements of 12, 27 and 28 years old. The other three have been matured in ex-sherry butts and are bottled at 13, 16 and 23 years of age.

The annual production capacity at Strathisla is 2.4 million litres. This is relatively small considering its strategic importance to the Chivas Regal range. The mash tun has a five tonne capacity and a traditional copper lid. The wort - the sugary liquid created by the mashing process - is then passed to one of 10 wooden fermentation washbacks. Seven of these are made of Oregon pine and three of larch. The fermentation time is 54 hours.

Two pairs of stills are housed in one of Scotland's most cramped still houses. Wooden beams criss-cross between the stills and the low ceiling to give a historical feel. The new make spirit is then transferred via pipework to the nearby Glen Keith distillery where it is filled to cask or tanker.

Strathisla was founded by Alexander Milne and George Taylor. It is located in the Speyside town of Keith and was originally called Milltown. This was later changed to Milton. It was first named as Strathisla in 1870, but reverted back to Milton twenty years later under a new ownership. The Strathisla name did not return until 1951.

This is after Chivas Brothers, who remain the current owners as part of Pernod Ricard, took control. The previous ownership has gone bankrupt in 1949 and the distillery was purchased in poor condition. Chivas Brothers set about refurbishing it and built Strathisla back to the point where it became a highly respected and desirable blending malt.

They also set about transforming the distillery to a visitor attraction in the early 2000s. This is when Strathisla became the official brand home of Chivas Regal. A further recent upgrade has seen Strathisla become a contemporary, premium and award-winning Scottish visitor experience. Whisky fans are offering tours, tastings and the opportunity to blend their own version of Chivas Regal.