One of the classic names in malt whisky distilling, Glen Grant has a long history of being bottled as a single malt, even as young as only 5 years old (particularly for the Italian market). However, it is the older maturities, often from sherry casks and mainly bottled by Gordon & MacPhail, which attract the attention of serious imbibers and rare whisky collectors/investors alike.

Glen Grant was the first distillery, built in 1840, in the whisky town of Rothes. By the time of Barnard’s visit 45 years later it was already a substantial operation. Established by the brothers John and James Grant, the distillery remained the property of the Grant family until the company merged in 1952 with an equally illustrious enterprise, George and J G Smith of Glenlivet fame. Together, they formed The Glenlivet and Glen Grant Distilleries Limited, only to merge in 1970 with Hill, Thomson to form The Glenlivet Distillers Limited, the entire enterprise becoming part of the Seagram empire in 1977. When Pernod_Ricard picked over the Seagram Scotch whisky assets, which they acquired in 2001, they eventually decided that Glen Grant was surplus to requirements and so the distillery and the brand were acquired in 2006 by Gruppo Campari, which helped to underscore Glen Grant’s long association with Italy, particularly as a young single malt.