Invergordon 1964

The seaside town of Invergordon seems an unlikely place for a distillery. Surrounded by the remnants of its oil and seafaring connections, located within a housing estate is Scotland’s most northerly grain distillery. Founded in 1959, the distillery came online in 1961 and produced for the Invergordon Distillers, as this was a booming period for blends and the malts to support the brands. So much so, that in 1965, following an industry trend of establishing single malt stills within a larger grain site, Ben Wyvis was created. One of Scotland’s rarest single malts as it was only in existence for 12 years. Even then, it produced whisky on a modest scale. Today, the Ben Wyvis stills power the success we see at Glengyle distillery. For Invergordon, its future seems assured as the plant recently had a much-needed upgrade, despite some unsavoury headlines about wage cuts and redundancies. The Invergordon whisky itself is more flavoursome than other grain distilleries and time is always beneficial when it comes to grain.