The Glenturret Distillery - 10 Things to Know Before Visiting

The distillery offers daily distillery tours, whisky flights at the Lalique Bar, a dedicated retail store including an exclusive Lalique Boutique, and The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, the distillery’s Michelin Star unique dining experience.

Originally known as The Thurot Distillery owned by Sir Patrick Murray of Ochtertyre, the first record of The Glenturret is written in the rental documentation from the Barony of Ochtertyre in 1763.

The distillery is situated in a picturesque area of land on the outer edge of Crieff known as “The Hosh.” The Hosh lands have been home to smugglers and illicit distillers since the beginning of the 18th Century. In 1796 John Drummond was caught illicitly distilling in The Hosh. The House of Commons records from this time reveal that he was heavily fined as a result of his illicit activities. Although not related to the subsequent Drummond ownership of The Glenturret, The Hosh was indeed a hive of distilling activity in the 18th century and remains to this day one of the oldest areas of distilling in Scotland.

The Glenturret has had various owners over the years and has not always been known as The Glenturret Distillery. Through most of the 19th Century, it was known as The Hosh Distillery. This former name was adopted by one of the original owners, Thomas McInnes. Thomas distilled at Glenturret at the same time as his uncle ran the Hosh Mill Distillery, another distillery located close to where the original distillery stands today. In 1873 Thomas Stewart purchased The Hosh Distillery and changed the name to The Glenturret Distillery, a name which has been synonymous with the distillery ever since.

The high duty rates and fall in whisky consumption in the early 1920’s forced The Glenturret to close its doors. After an extended period of dormancy, The Glenturret Distillery was purchased by James Fairlie in 1957 after he saw enormous potential in the disused buildings. It took him three years to reinstate production once more. James Fairlie was a great visionary, his ambition was “to preserve the traditional methods of distilling and to grow the appreciation for whisky.” James was also responsible for opening one of the first whisky tourist attractions in Scotland, a true pioneer of his time.

In March 2019, The Glenturret Distillery was purchased by a joint venture led by The Lalique Group. This latest sale in the distillery’s history brings forth a new beginning for Scotland’s Oldest Working Distillery.

Preserving the traditional methods of whisky making continue to be at the heart of the brand however there is an exciting and imaginative reinvention of this historic site taking place. The distillery is now home to The Glenturret Lalique Boutique, the first of its kind in Scotland and The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, recently awarded its first Michelin Star.

The Glenturret Distillery is open throughout the year and has tours all year around. If you are in the area at any time of the year, book a tour if you like to taste some whiskey and learn some history.

1. Book a tour in advance from the distillery website. It gets busy during the summer months.
2. Photography is allowed inside the distillery, so make sure to bring a good camera. It is not every day you could have the chance to see whisky making tradition that is centuries old.

1. The Glenturret Distillery is Scotland’s Oldest Working Distillery since 1763.
2. The distillery has a Michelin star restuarant.
3. The distillery was closed off for three decades in the 1920s due to low demand for whisky and high duty-free.
4. From 1963 to 1987, Towser, a female cat was the resident feline pest control expert at Glenturret Distillery. She was an officially recognised record breaker. Her record-breaking victim count was estimated as 28,899 mice.

The duration of the tours ranges from 1 hour to 2 hours depending on which one you are taking. On average, visitors will spend 1.5 to 2.5 hours at the distillery.

From Perth, there are buses to the Dalvreck House stop which is located near the distillery. It takes about an hour. Perth is reachable by train from Edinburgh, it is a 1.5 hours ride. If you are driving from Edinburgh, it takes an hour and 20 minutes to reach the distillery.

There are different tours available for visitors at the distillery. Standard tours are priced at £15, the Trinity Tour is £45 and the Whisky Maker’s Tour is £100 per person. More info on tours is available on the website of the Glenturret Distillery.

Tours, Shop, Cafe, and Lalique Boutique at The Glenturret Distillery are open daily from 10 AM to 6 PM.