The Legacy
1822
During the early 19th century, illegal distilleries were commonplace throughout the Speyside region of Scotland. However, that did not prevent even the most powerful men from requesting the illicit dram, including King George IV who visited Scotland in 1822 and requested Glenlivet by name
1823
However, in 1823, Alexander Gordon pushed the Excise Act of 1823 through Parliament that allowed illegal distillers throughout Scotland to apply for and obtain licenses to legally distill spirits. In 1824, a businessman named George Smith applied for one of the first licenses in the Speyside region of Scotland and opened the doors to The Glenlivet Distillery. Glenlivet, translated from Gaelic, means “valley of the smooth flowing one” and is most likely referencing the nearby River Livet.
1871
Smith operated his distillery freely - angering many of the long-time illegal producers who did not have a license - resulting in multiple threats on his life. Armed with determination and a pair of pistols gifted to him by the Laird of Aberlour, Smith continued operating the distillery until he passed in 1871 and passed the distillery on to his son, John Gordon Smith.
1876
In 1876, John requested (and eventually obtained) a trademark on the Glenlivet name. For nearly two centuries now, The Glenlivet Distillery has been producing the “single malt whisky that started it all.
The Process
Fermentation
Glenlivet Single Malt Scotch Whisky is made using barley sourced from Crisp Maltings, Portgordon (Portgordon is a village in Moray, Scotland). After the barley has been malted and mashed, it is fermented in wooden washbacks for approximately two days. The wooden washbacks used by Glenlivet are more difficult and expensive to maintain as compared to the stainless steel washbacks used by most Scottish distilleries, but impart a distinctive, floral quality to the whisky.
Distillation
After the barley has been fermented, it is distilled twice - first through Glenlivet’s wash still, and then again through Glenlivet’s spirits still. Originally designed by George Smith, the copper-pot stills have a unique, lantern-like shape, which encourages contact between the whisky and the copper. The copper strips the whisky of any impurities it may have, and provides for a lighter and more pure flavor profile.
Aging
Following distillation, the whisky is aged in various types of casks including American oak, French, Orloroso sherry or a combination of multiple cask types, resulting in the highest quality scotch with incredibly robust, unique taste profiles.
Become a Guardian
Sign up to become a guardian of the glenlivet
Join the ranks of The Glenlivet Guardians and unlock a world of exclusive privileges.
Created by enthusiasts for enthusiasts, the Guardian program gives you members-only access to private tastings, limited edition releases, exclusive downloads and invitations to unique events.
You will also get the opportunity to meet fellow aficionados with whom you can share your knowledge and passion for the single malt that started it all.
Those who embrace Guardianship, spread the word of The Glenlivet and help to expand the community will be richly rewarded.
Below are The Glenlivet's terms of use as they appear on www.theglenlivet.com. By registering to become a Guardian of The Glenlivet you are agreeing to these terms of use unrelated to Caskers terms of use and privacy policy.
The Glenlivet's Terms of Use:
Welcome to the web site for The Glenlivet (the "Site"). We are very pleased to welcome you to our site, but before you read on about The Glenlivet, we should be grateful if you would take a few minutes to read the important information that follows
This Site is owned by Chivas Brothers Limited, Registered Office 111/113 Renfrew Road, Paisley, Renfrewshire PA3 4DY, UK (the "Company"), Registered in Scotland no.: SC268758. To keep things simple, we have referred to the Company as "we" and "us" in the paragraphs that follow.
The purpose of this section is to describe the conditions (the "Terms") that apply to your access to and use of our Site. If you visit us at this Site, and click a flag on our home page to enter the Site, we will assume that you understand and intend these Terms to apply to you in the same way as any signed, written contract.
The following points may help you to understand the legal environment in which we operate:
Legal drinking age - to use this Site you must be of legal drinking age in your country - if you are not, please exit this Site. We look forward to informing you about The Glenlivet at an appropriate time in the future. If you are of legal age, our products should be enjoyed and consumed in moderation.
Restricted Territories - in some countries of the world it is not permissible for citizens to visit a Site like ours due to local laws restricting the sale and/or promotion of alcoholic beverages. You are responsible for compliance with the laws of this country or territory in which you are located and if you are visiting from a country where restrictions apply you should exit this Site now. If you are unsure about the law then we suggest that you exit now and check your legal position before continuing.
Privacy - it is important that you understand the way in which we will use the information we hold about you. Our privacy policy will provide you with further details.
Rights - All of the material you see on this site is owned by us or used by us with the consent of the owner. We are very happy for you to visit this Site and to print copies of material on it for your personal, non-commercial use, but all other copying is prohibited and all other rights are reserved.
Trade marks - the words Glenlivet and The Glenlivet are trade marks belonging to Chivas Brothers Limited and are registered in many different countries. This is also true of many of the other logos and creative materials that you will see on our product pack and on this Site. We (and the other owners of materials used on this Site) attach considerable importance to these precious assets and make every effort to protect them. Any use or reproduction of these trade marks without the express prior written consent of the Company is prohibited.
No warranties - we provide this Site "as is". We have taken care in preparing materials for the Site but we cannot guarantee that:
(i) It will always be available for you to visit/use in the current format;
(ii) Software downloaded from the Site will be compatible with your equipment or free from viruses;
(iii) All materials will be accurate or complete.
Our Liability - to the fullest extent possible at law we (and all of our sister, parent and subsidiary companies) exclude all liability for any loss or damage (including direct, indirect, economic or consequential loss or damage) suffered by you as a result of any visit to or use of this site or of any materials provided on it or downloaded from it or your inability to use this site or any error in the provision of this Site or any computer virus transmitted through this Site whether such loss or damage arises from our negligence or otherwise and even if we are expressly informed of the possibility of such loss or damage.
Materials submitted by you - you must take care with the posting of materials to our Site. We cannot treat these materials confidentially and similarly we must be free to use and to disclose these whether they are ideas, creative concepts or other materials without payment of any sum or acknowledgement of you as their source. We cannot accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered by you as a result of use or disclosure of such materials by us. This paragraph does not affect any rights you may have under data protection or similar laws, to the extent that such rights cannot be excluded or limited by us. Please see our privacy statement for further details.
Links to other sites - Links to third party sites on this Site are provided solely for your convenience. If you use these links, you leave this Site. We have not reviewed all of these third party websites and we do not control and are not responsible for these websites or their content. We therefore do not endorse or make any representations about them or any material found there, or any results that may be obtained from using them. If you decide to access any of the third party websites linked to this Site, you do so entirely at your own risk.
Linking this site - If you would like to link to this Site you may only do so on the basis that you link to, but do not replicate, the home page of this Website, and subject to the following conditions:
(a) you do not remove, distort or otherwise alter the size or appearance of the logo for The Glenlivet;
(b) you do not create a frame or any other browser or border environment around this Site;
(c) you do not in any way imply that the Company is endorsing any products or services other than its own;
(d) you do not misrepresent your relationship with the Company nor present any other false information about the Company;
(e) you do not otherwise use any trade marks displayed on this Site without written permission of the Company;
(f) you do not link from a website that is not owned by you; and
(g) your website does not contain content that is distasteful, offensive or controversial, infringes any intellectual property rights or other rights of any other person or otherwise does not comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
Other legal notices - there are other legal notices on areas of this Site which relate to your use of specific areas.
Changes to this legal notice - we may amend this legal notice from time to time.
Law and Jurisdiction - these Terms and any matter relating to this Site will be governed by Scots law and the Scottish courts shall have non-exclusive jurisdiction in respect of them.