We’re thrilled to announce that The Glenturret has been named the Icons of Whisky 2022 Distiller of the Year, a prestigious award that we’re so proud to have won.

Looking back over the last 12 months, it’s easy to see how far we've come and it's a real testament to the whole team that we've been so highly honoured.

Despite the ongoing difficulties presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, 2021 has been an exciting year for The Glenturret Distillery. We’ve embraced new beginnings, welcomed positive changes and expanded our business to great success, and we couldn’t be prouder to be named as the Icons of Whisky 2022 Distiller of the Year.

Not only that, but Ian Renwick, our Distillery Manager, has been highly commended in the Distillery Manager of the Year category, and Jamie Morrision, our Brand Ambassador, has been highly commended in the Scotch Whisky Brand Ambassador category. Congratulations to you both!

A new beginning

It all started with our new owners’ vision for a revitalised Glenturret, which meant a new five-year business plan and brand proposition - including a new brand identity and packaging, from bottles through to shipping cases and everything in between.

It’s all geared around really making us stand out and showing the whisky-loving world (and beyond) what this historic distillery was made of. And that meant making sure our small, passionate team worked together tirelessly to achieve that vision.

Of course, Covid presented many challenges along the way, not least having many of our team on furlough and the rest working from home, but because we’re a strong team working towards a solid vision, we were more than capable of meeting those challenges head on and succeeding.

A future that draws on the past

Making whisky is in our blood and our bones, and we know that the age-old traditional distillation methods produce whisky that warms the heart and lifts the spirit. So we don’t use computers, flow metres, or automated systems in our process; instead, our team is passionate about crafting the highest quality whiskies by hand and heart.

Our history is our strength, and this year we took a year-long trip into our distillery’s heritage that culminated in the discovery of a rental document from 1763 - a document that confirmed The Glenturret as Scotland’s oldest working distillery.

That past informs our future, and we used it as inspiration for a whole new range of Glenturret whiskies. The result? Maiden Release, six new expressions launched at Gleneagles in September 2020.

Whilst the launch was virtual, we were able to hold live tastings for our Maiden Release by sending samples in advance, which made the launch a huge success and brought the whole process to life for those who took part. So much so, that over the last 12 months we’ve won more than 30 medals recognising whisky quality, and our sales have grown by more than 115%. We're incredibly proud of this achievement, especially within a category that has shrunk by 7.7%.

And that momentum has continued thanks to the launch of our 2021 Release - a range of six completely new whiskies - in September 2021, as well as the high demand for our 25 year old whisky (a sell-out in just four weeks).

Branching out

We’ve also spent the year exploring new avenues, and, as well as our much-loved core range of whiskies, we’ve identified and developed a new range of casks for a series of special, limited edition releases.

That meant forming new collaborations and working with new partners - something we were more than excited to get involved with. As part of this, we launched The Glenturret Jaguar E-Type 60th Anniversary Release, which celebrated 60 years since the iconic E-Type was first unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. Not only did this set up a new partnership with Jaguar, it also introduced us to a whole new audience, helping further instil The Glenturret as a name synonymous with quality, refinement and taste.

All eyes on the future

Whisky and partnerships are only half the story. Sustainability is also close to our hearts, and our team have been looking into how we can meet our climate commitments and continue crafting fine whisky well into the future.

To that end, we’ve committed to the SWA Climate Agreement, and are working to install a new mash tun that will dramatically reduce our water usage and CO2 emissions during the distillation process.

And that’s not all. We’ve also been investigating ways to recover heat from our production, and have appointed an environmental ambassador who helps our team improve sustainability across the business - from distillation to marketing and beyond. Because we know how important the environment is - both to our customers and our colleagues.

Of course, our colleagues are the heart of our business, and we know how vital it is that they’re nurtured and developed throughout their careers. So during the furlough period, we organised online training for everyone, and kept in touch to make sure our team were informed about the direction of the business, that morale was high and - most importantly - that we were looking after their mental wellbeing. Because we’re nothing without them.

Investing in our people is important, and we haven’t stopped at training and conversations. We’ve also undertaken successful promotions through our mentoring programme and new digital training platforms, and are recruiting apprenticeships across the business to keep new talent and ideas flowing.

We’ve not neglected our customers either. We know that enjoying whisky is an experience made for sharing with your nearest and dearest, and we want to elevate The Glenturret Distillery into a must-visit attraction. So we launched The Glenturret Lalique Boutique - the first of its kind in Scotland - and The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant - an exceptional gastronomic experience - in July.

Winning Distiller of the Year has really cemented our reputation as even more than an excellent distiller of fine whiskies; it celebrates the distillery and our talented team as a whole.