Glenfiddich 12

Glenfiddich occupies a singular position in the history of Scotch: the distillery credited, more than any other, with creating the international market for single malt whisky.

Glenfiddich was founded on Christmas Day 1887 by William Grant, a former employee of the Mortlach Distillery in Dufftown. Grant built the distillery largely by hand, with the help of his nine children, using second-hand equipment purchased from the Cardhu Distillery.

The name 'Glenfiddich' means 'Valley of the Deer' in Gaelic, from which the iconic stag symbol is derived.

Glenfiddich remains one of the few major Scotch whisky distilleries still owned by its founding family — William Grant & Sons. The distillery sits beside the Fiddich and Robbie Dhu springs in the heart of Speyside.

It was the first single malt Scotch whisky to be actively marketed internationally, beginning in the 1960s.

The 12-year-old expression is aged in a combination of American oak ex-bourbon casks and European oak ex-sherry casks, before being married together for further maturation in small oak tuns — a process unique to Glenfiddich.

The distillery uses traditional pot stills and is notable for maintaining its own on-site cooperage.

When Glenfiddich set sail for the world in the 1960s, single malt was a Scottish secret. A decade later it was a global category.

Glenfiddich is credited with almost single-handedly creating the global market for single malt Scotch whisky. When it launched internationally in the 1960s, single malt was virtually unknown outside Scotland.

The 12-year-old remains the world's best-selling single malt Scotch whisky by volume.

Glenfiddich was the first distillery to open its doors to visitors, in 1969 — pioneering whisky tourism in Scotland.

The distinctive triangular bottle was introduced in 1961, designed to stand out on the shelf. The family still draws water from the Robbie Dhu springs that William Grant used in 1887.

Glenfiddich has been awarded across the world's major spirits competitions and is regularly cited as one of the most influential distilleries of the modern era.