Girvan
The Lowland distillery Girvan was completed and commissioned in 1963 in only nine months. It is one of the largest Grain Whisky distilleries in Scotland.
| Information about the Distillery | |
|---|---|
| Scotland, Lowlands | |
| -4.833600 55.260853 | |
| Active | |
| Wm. Grant & Sons | |
| 1963 | |
| www.thegirvanpatentstill.com |
| Average tasting notes Tasting notes |
Calculated from 280
i
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Nosing
Sweet:
Sweet:
Peat Smoke:
Vanilla:
Peat Smoke:
Vanilla:
Spices:
Zitrus:
Fruit:
Zitrus:
Caramel:
Herbs:
Caramel:
Herbs:
Ham:
Ham:
Nuts:
Floral:
Floral:
Bonfire Smoke:
Bonfire Smoke:
Oil:
Honey:
Cinnamon:
Oak:
Fruit:
Spices:
Honey:
Lemon:
Lemon:
Orange:
Orange:
Malt:
Cinnamon:
Oil:
Lemon Peel:
Lemon Peel:
Oak:
Pepper:
Pepper:
Tropical Fruit:
Wheat:
Tropical Fruit:
Malt:
Berries:
Pear:
Berries:
Barley:
Pear:
Plum:
Maritime Notes:
Heather:
Seaweed:
Herb:
Plum:
Herb:
Sherry:
Hay:
Grass:
Heather:
Ginger:
Clove:
Mint:
Mint:
Leather:
Clove:
Leather:
Ginger:
Sherry:
Wheat:
Tobacco:
Cake:
Alcohol:
Cherry:
Tobacco:
Pineapple:
Almonds:
Peach:
Dried Fruit:
Chocolate:
Apple:
Cake:
Banana:
Alcohol:
Almonds:
Peach:
Cherry:
Blackberry:
Pineapple:
Dried Fruit:
Green Apple:
Hay:
Barley:
Banana:
Apple:
Grass:
Nuts:
Chocolate:
Green Apple:
Tasting
Sweet:
Sweet:
Peat Smoke:
Spices:
Fruit:
Herbs:
Herbs:
Peat Smoke:
Vanilla:
Nuts:
Zitrus:
Spices:
Honey:
Honey:
Caramel:
Heather:
Heather:
Oak:
Vanilla:
Zitrus:
Caramel:
Orange:
Oak:
Chocolate:
Oil:
Fruit:
Orange:
Herb:
Sherry:
Malt:
Herb:
Chocolate:
Apple:
Lemon:
Dark Chocolate:
Nuts:
Wheat:
Pepper:
Oil:
Pepper:
Apple:
Malt:
Sherry:
Lemon:
Dark Chocolate:
Cake:
Cake:
Floral:
Ginger:
Ginger:
Floral:
Barley:
Bonfire Smoke:
Pineapple:
Bonfire Smoke:
Ham:
Ham:
Pineapple:
Maritime Notes:
Berries:
Wheat:
Maritime Notes:
Seaweed:
Seaweed:
Nutmeg:
Alcohol:
Nutmeg:
Alcohol:
Coffee:
Coffee:
Pear:
Lemon Peel:
Pear:
Dried Fruit:
Dried Fruit:
Cinnamon:
Cherry:
Cinnamon:
Cherry:
Iodine:
Banana:
Banana:
Barley:
Berries:
Iodine:
Chili:
Chili:
Strawberry:
Rye:
Plum:
Plum:
Rye:
Leather:
Tobacco:
Almonds:
Hazelnut:
Hazelnut:
Tobacco:
Almonds:
Strawberry:
Finish
Sweet:
Peat Smoke:
Sweet:
Peat Smoke:
Spices:
Spices:
Caramel:
Oak:
Oak:
Malt:
Wheat:
Nuts:
Wheat:
Caramel:
Malt:
Vanilla:
Zitrus:
Zitrus:
Pepper:
Herbs:
Herbs:
Fruit:
Chili:
Nutmeg:
Chili:
Fruit:
Vanilla:
Nutmeg:
Oil:
Herb:
Bonfire Smoke:
Pepper:
Bonfire Smoke:
Floral:
Alcohol:
Chocolate:
Almonds:
Nuts:
Floral:
Chocolate:
Cinnamon:
Alcohol:
Sherry:
Herb:
Maritime Notes:
Seaweed:
Heather:
Maritime Notes:
Seaweed:
Clove:
Sherry:
Heather:
Clove:
Dark Chocolate:
Dried Fruit:
Dried Fruit:
Hay:
Dark Chocolate:
Hay:
Ginger:
|
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The Whisky
Girvan is William Grant & Sons' only Grain Whisky distillery. It is located in the industrial area of the coastal town of Girvan, together with the Ailsa Bay distillery, built in 2007 on the same site. This was also the home of the lost distillery Ladyburn, which closed in 1975 and was demolished the following year.
Girvan used to supply its Grain only for William Grant & Sons Blends until 2014, when the distillery's first Single Grain bottlings were released. These were distilled using the patent still process.
The Single Grain Whisky Girvan Patent Still No. 4 Apps is distilled in two multi-pressure stills. Other Single Grain Whiskies in the distillery's portfolio are Girvan 25 years, Girvan 28 years and Girvan 30 years.
The Gin
Hendrick's Gin is also produced on the Girvan premises. It has been made by hand since 1999, in small batches of just 500 litres in total. Master distiller Lesley Gracie is still responsible for the countless Hendrick's releases. More than twenty years ago, Charles Gordon, the great-grandson of the company's founder, asked her to produce a new Gin for him. The result was Hendrick's Gin, which is distilled in two unusual stills: in the Bennett Still, the botanicals are steeped and in the Carter Head Still, they release their essence via an aroma basket. This combination creates a very smooth Gin with a balanced mixture of flavours.
The eleven botanicals in Hendrick's Gin are iris root, yarrow, angelica, caraway, lemon peel, coriander, cubeb pepper, juniper, orange peel, elderflower and chamomile and come from all over the world. After the Gins from the two stills have been blended, the resulting spirit is infused with the typically British ingredients rose and cucumber.
In addition to the original Hendrick's Gin, the distillery releases a number of other Gins, such as the limited releases Hendrick's Lunar and Midsummer Solstice, both of which are characterised by a floral aroma. Hendrick's Orbium is additionally combined with extracts of quinine, vermouth and lotus blossom. And to create Hendrick's Amazonia Gin, available exclusively through Travel Retail, they chose botanicals from the Amazon jungle.
The Production
The very first still at Girvan, known as the Patent Still "No. 1 Apps" (a distillery term for 'apparatus') is still in use today. After 50 years, it was joined by four more patent or Coffey stills. These include the "No. 4 Apps", a new type of still introduced in 1992, which is used for the unusual MPS (Multi-Pressure System) distillation. This special process allows the distillery to evaporate and distil at different pressures, especially under vacuum, at low temperatures. The result is a sweeter, fruitier and purer spirit that is free of sulphur compounds.
The Warehouse
The Girvan distillery has 53 warehouses, which are estimated to hold 10 per cent of all Scotch Whisky. With a production capacity of about 110 million litres of alcohol per year, this is not surprising.
Girvan Whiskies are matured in vanillin-rich American white oak casks.
The History
Girvan was built in 1963 under the direction of Charles Grant Gordon, the great-grandson of William Grant, within nine months as the largest Grain distillery. At the time, Girvan was the most modern distillery in the world.
In 2019, the new Gin Palace, home of Hendrick's Gin, was inaugurated. It is a tropical greenhouse with the same heat and humidity as the Amazon and houses a diverse collection of tropical fruits and plants.
Girvan Distillery
Grangestone Industrial Estate
Girvan
Ayrshire
KA26 9PT
Tel: +44(0)1465-713091
User Notes about the Distillery
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