The Glenfarclas distillery is one of the last 'family' distilleries located in Speyside. Glenfarclas translates as meaning "valley of the green grass”, was licensed in 1836 by farm tenant Robert Hay. 

On June 8th 1865, with the sudden death of Robert Hay  John Grant became the tenant of the farm and bought the distillery. After he acquired it, George Grant (son of John) and John Smith (cousin of John), became responsible for taking care of the distillery. However, after J. Smith left for the purpose of building the Cragganmore Distillery, George took full control of the Glenfarclas distillery.

After John and George died, the company continued with George's sons (John and George). During the Whisky boom, they experienced a financial crisis. But somehow, Glenfarclas survived. The Fourth generation of Grant's came with George Scott Grant, who managed to keep a great number of casks of the blend Whiskies. In 2002, John L.S. Grant took charge as a fifth generation, and lastly, in 2000, his son George S. Grant joined the company as the sixth generation. Glenfarclas managed to keep the company a family-owned brand.

Production in Glenfarclas is traditional. It takes place twenty hours a day, in three shifts. The mash tun is one of the biggest mash tuns in Scotland. The whole process takes about 11 hours. The distillery has 12 washbacks, each having a capacity of 45,000 litres. There are three wash stills with 29,600 litres capacity, and three spirit stills of 25,000-litre capacity. The pot stills are heated directly with a gas fire. Spanish Sherry casks are the major key in the production of Glenfarclas Whiskies. 

More precisely:

• Glenfarclas is the last distillery in Scotland still to use direct heating of all its stills instead of indirect heating. 

• The visitor Centre of Glenfarclas was opened in 1973, making it one of the first distilleries organising managed visits.

• The number of stills at Glenfarclas expanded from four to six in 1976

• In 1968 Glenfarclas launched the very first cask strength malt whisky  - now called Glenfarclas 105

• There are now more than 30 warehouses on the Glenfarclas distillery grounds, all of the ‘dunnage’ type

• 800,000 bottles of Glenfarclas are sold each year and is considered of high value as the quality speaks for itself.