The history of the Glen Grant Distillery starts all the way back in 1820 when the men of the Grant Clan raided nearby Elgin to free their chief and his family. The ‘Raid on Elgin’ is the last Scottish revolt in history. The leader of this revolt, James Grant, and his brother John, ran an unlicensed and illegal distillery for nearly 20 years when in 1840 they decided to embark on making their dream of creating a world famous single malt whisky into reality by applying for a license.
Glen Grant is something of a Jekyll and Hyde of Scotch whisky. On one hand, there’s the brand’s swathe of entry-level whiskies that are incredibly popular overseas, particularly in France, Italy and Spain. These easy-drinking drams are mild and light in flavour, making them a hit with newcomers to the world of whisky.
On the other hand, Glen Grant has a long history and an esteemed reputation for producing a range of single malt whisky. Since 1840, they’ve pioneered throughout the world of whisky production, becoming the first to bottle their own malt themselves, as well as the first distillery to install electric lighting way back in 1861.
This pioneering nature has resulted in a huge range of Glen Grant whisky, with copious amounts of high-quality single malts available for enthusiasts to choose from. With this said, the nuances of Glen Grant whiskies are vast, but their general character is considered to be light and easy-drinking, something which can be attributed to the crisp, clean Highland spring water which also gives the whisky it’s pale golden hue.
