The Glenlivet Distillery

In 1824, George Smith and his youngest son, John Gordon Smith, founded the Glenlivet distillery in Upper Drumin.

George Smith founded a second distillery in 1849, called the Cairngorm-Delnabo Distillery, but by 1855 or 1856, both distilleries were operating at full capacity and could not keep up with the growing demand. Operating two separate plants was also proving difficult and expensive, so around the same time, plans were made to build a new, larger distillery down the hill at Minmore. Construction of this new distillery was underway when the old distillery at Upper Drumin was destroyed by fire in 1858.

Construction of the new Minmore distillery was accelerated, and salvageable equipment from the Upper Drumin distillery was transferred to the new Minmore facility. The Delnabo distillery closed at the same time, and the best parts of its equipment were also transferred to the Minmore plant. Production began at the new plant in 1859, and it was around this time that the legal entity of George & J.G. Smith, Ltd. was formed.