The Glenturret Distillery: A Unique Marriage Of Fine Malt Whisky & Haute Cuisine

The Glenturret Distillery is an entry in our Great British Brands 2024 book. 

The Glenturret Distillery: Great British Brand 2024

‘The Glenturret is handmade single malt Scotch whisky, which we create using traditional methods. It’s very niche, boutique and rare. Sometimes we don’t put our whisky out, because it’s not yet ready. So, we’re not led by finance, we’re not led by marketing, we’re led by the product, our whisky.

‘Our brand sought to fill the gap for a genuinely scarce liquid that just stayed true to its capabilities. There are lots of brands like that, in particular in the watch industry – you can name some brands like Vacheron or Patek, for example – but that didn’t exist in the single malt market, certainly not in the luxury single malt space.

‘For the 300,000 litres of alcohol a year that we make, we employ double the amount of people that a distillery making three million litres of alcohol employs, because we’re using traditional methods.

‘The development of AI is super interesting. We see some helpful applications on the sales side, but would never use it in production. Because we use traditional methods, we don’t have any computer automation or sensors in the distillery, instead we invest in human interaction.

‘So, we don’t currently use AI at the moment, but I definitely see technology helping us deliver more of what our customers want in the future, with data-crunching and analysing insights.

‘Storytelling, so important in single malt Scotch, is a great example of where there would be difficulties using AI. Storytelling is almost as important as the quality of the liquid. Actually, writing the story takes the longest time in our new brand creation. Sitting and drinking a whisky, and retelling great stories is part of the allure.

‘Being Scotland’s oldest working distillery – dating from 1763 – and all the stories that come with that, is a great sales tool. The stories really excite people.’

John Laurie, Managing Director

Five Proudest Moments

1. In 2020 we relaunched the brand during Covid, at a time when many brands were delaying their launches.
2. Our lot for The Distillers’ One of One charity auction in 2021 reached £37.5k, establishing us as a rare and collectible item.
3. The Glenturret by Lalique Restaurant was awarded a Michelin Star in 2022, within seven months of opening. It was the first distillery worldwide to achieve this ultimate accolade.
4. We launched our 50-yearold single malt in 2022, the oldest, rarest release to date. Getting whisky to that age is no mean feat, especially when you only have one cask. An exciting moment when that cask crossed the 50-year marker.
5. Glenturret Triple Wood 2022 achieved 99/100 at the International Wine and Spirits Competition. Our most affordable whisky being voted the best whisky in the world was incredible.

What I’ve Learnt

• Luxury is about detail and the care given to the product and customer service, right through to delivery. Every tiny step of the journey has to be meticulously thought out.
• In a digital age, relationships still matter.
• Don’t underestimate the customer. Nowadays they are educated about the brand and the industry, making it more important than ever to be honest and transparent.

THE GLENTURRET DISTILLERY

The Hosh, Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland PH7 4HA

+44 (0)1764 656565

theglenturret.com

@theglenturretwhisky