The Glenlivet - 12 yrs - Illicit Still

George Smith, a man who produced illicit whisky until the Excise Act 1823 was initiated. Once the legislation passed, Smith became the first person in Glenlivet, Scotland to apply for and be granted a license allowing him to legally set up shop. Within a year, he opened The Glenlivet Distillery in Upper Drumin with his youngest son, John Gordon Smith.

Business was booming, so they opened another distillery. Realising the growth of the company they began building one large distillery that could cope with large volumes of production in Minmore. By 1859, production began at the new distillery, and the name of the company was changed to George & J.G. Smith, Ltd.

Although not much has changed over the years with respect to its production process, the company has passed through hands of a number of parent companies before being acquired from Seagrams by Pernod Ricard and Diageo. As part of that acquisition, The Glenlivet was separated from its longtime subsidiary Glen Grant Distillers and made a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pernod Ricard with Glen Grant being further sold to the Campari Group in 2005.The Glenlivet, roughly translated from Gaelic means ‘Valley of the Livet’. It is most notable for its exceptionally smooth taste and finish and is commonly regarded as a perfect dram for the novice drinker.

Speyside is a region of northern Scotland positioned roughly between Inverness and the Great Glen in the west and Aberdeen and the east coast.