Dailuaine Distillery — Speyside Single Malt Whisky

Dailuaine Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery located near Aberlour (Charlestown of Aberlour), in Speyside, Scotland. It was founded in 1852 and is currently owned by Diageo. Once the largest single malt distillery in Speyside, it was also the first in Scotland to feature the now-iconic pagoda-roof kiln design.

History

Dailuaine was built in 1852 by William Mackenzie, a local farmer, on the banks of the Bailliemullich Burn near Carron in Speyside. The name comes from the Gaelic "An Dail Uaine," meaning "green valley." After Mackenzie's death in 1865, his widow leased the site to banker James Fleming, who ran it in partnership with Mackenzie's son as Mackenzie & Company.

By the late 19th century Dailuaine had grown into the largest single malt distillery in Speyside and one of the most technically advanced, benefiting from its own private railway siding connecting it to the Strathspey line. A major rebuild in 1898, designed by noted distillery architect Charles Doig, introduced Scotland's first pagoda-style kiln roof, a design later adopted across the industry. That year the distillery also merged with Talisker to form Dailuaine-Talisker Distilleries Ltd.

Fire destroyed much of the distillery, including Doig's pagoda roof, in 1917; it was rebuilt and reopened a few years later, by which time it had passed into the hands of the Distillers Company Limited (DCL) in 1925. A substantial renovation in 1960 expanded the stillhouse from four to six stills. Ownership passed to United Distillers in 1987 and, following further industry consolidation, to Diageo, which continues to operate Dailuaine today primarily as a component for blends, most notably Johnnie Walker.

Quick Facts

• Region: Speyside
• Founded: 1852
• Owner: Diageo
• Status: Active
• Stills: 3 wash stills (18,700 litres each) and 3 spirit stills (20,500 litres each)

Core Range

Dailuaine's single malt is bottled in relatively small quantities compared to its production volume, with most output going into blends such as Johnnie Walker. The best-known official expression is the Dailuaine 16 Year Old (Flora & Fauna), bottled at 43% ABV and matured in sherry casks, prized for its dense, robust character with notes of brown caramel, liquorice, and candied fruit. Occasional cask-strength releases have also appeared in Diageo's Special Releases series, alongside independent bottlings from merchants such as Gordon & MacPhail.