Issue 161 | Whisky Magazine 43Distillery Focus Glenturret
W
e are all aware of the many
threats posed to wildlife
in our increasingly fragile
world, but who would
have thought that grouse
would cease to inhabit an area of Perthshire
just a couple of miles from Crieff?
Yet the 20-feet-tall grouse, okay, a statue,
that presided over the car park entrance to
Glenturret Distillery is no more, along with
The Famous Grouse Experience, that nested
at Glenturret from 2002 until earlier this year.
However, visitors to the distillery remain most
welcome indeed.
The reason for this departure of all things
grouse-related is due to the sale of Glenturret
Distillery in December of last year by owners
Edrington to Glenturret Holding, a company
formed by luxury glass specialist Lalique and
its second-largest shareholder, Hansjörg Wyss
of Switzerland.
Lalique’s chairman Silvio Denz owns the
Bordeaux wine estates of Château Faugères
and Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey, and this is
not his first venture into the world of whisky,
as Lalique has a longstanding relationship with
The Macallan, pairing its finest crystal glassware
with the Speyside distillery’s oldest and most
valuable single malt.
Now Lalique’s attention is turning to the
Highland region, and the team at Glenturret
could not be more delighted. Distillery manager
Ian Renwick is Crieff born and bred, and has
been at the distillery for 23 years. “I trained
as an engineer, and got a job here as stillman
and engineer initially,” he says. “I worked on
the production side, becoming production
supervisor for 10 years before being appointed
manager two years ago.
“I love the area and the distillery, so I was
very happy to stay when I was offered the
chance. A big change since the distillery was
sold is the positivity of the staff. Edrington is
a great company to work for and they made it
clear they wouldn’t close the distillery, that they042-046-Glenturret-WM161.indd 43 27/06/2019 17:18