Whisky

There is a huge concentration of distilleries in Moray, over 50 which is around half of the total of Scotland. These include famous names such as Glenfiddich, Glenlivet and Glen Moray.

The first record of distilling in Scotland was in 1494 when James IV was on the throne of Scotland. Whisky was originally used for medical purposes and became part of Scottish life, as it became more popular the Scottish parliament introduced the first taxes in the late 17th Century, following the Act of Union with England in 1707 when taxes were increased many distillers were driven underground or went out of business. One of our property managers is a direct descendent of Andrew Usher, who is credited with being the first blender of whisky. He pioneered blending in the early 1860’s. This he did by mixing malt and grain whisky together to produce a lighter flavoured product that was milder in taste. The whisky was sold as Old Vatted Glenlivet.

Scottish whisky is now a worldwide phenomenon with our whisky being sold in almost every country in the world. The Whisky industry supports many other industries in Moray including the manufacture of the brass pot stills, mash tuns and kilns. Then we have the Speyside Cooperage who makes the barrels to store the whisky for maturation. Whisky must be matured for a minimum of 3 years for it to be called Scotch and it must be made in Scotland. Most single malts are matured for 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20 and 25 years.

There many manufacturing industries in Moray as well as the whisky industry, the food industry with Baxters of Speyside and Walkers shortbread to name but two of the most famous, the textile industry with Johnston’s of Elgin, there are also wood and metal manufacturing and a variety of smaller companies.

Moray has experienced a rise in population in recent years with many people relocating here due to the economic growth of the area. Many are working within the existing business sectors or starting new businesses contributing to the diversity of business types in the area. There is a variety of business categories including the whisky industry, manufacturing, construction, financial institutions, energy and water and IT to name but a few.

The most northerly distillery on the Scottish mainland is The Old Pulteney Distillery is located in Wick, not too far from our office in Halkirk.