| Country | scotland |
| Region | Highland |
| Established | 1825 |
| Owner | Diageo |
| Type | Single Malt Scotch Whisky |
| Number of stills | 2 wash stills, 2 spirit stills |
| Visitor center | No |
| Status | Closed |
| Phone | n/a |
Glenury Royal Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery that once stood in Stonehaven, Highland, Scotland. It was founded in 1825 and was permanently closed in 1985, with the buildings later demolished. Glenury Royal is notable as one of the few distilleries ever granted a royal warrant, giving it the right to use "Royal" in its name.
Glenury Royal was established in 1825 by Captain Robert Barclay Allardice, a colourful figure best remembered for his 1809 feat of walking 1,000 miles in 1,000 hours. He built the distillery on the Ury estate near Stonehaven, on Scotland's northeast coast, taking its name from the glen running through the district. The distillery's early years were rocky: a fire soon after opening destroyed barley stocks and damaged the buildings, and a worker was killed in a boiler accident shortly afterwards. Despite this, the distillery survived and was granted a royal warrant by King William IV, allowing it to add "Royal" to its name — a rare honour shared by only a handful of Scottish distilleries.
Barclay ran the distillery until his death in 1854, after which it passed through several owners, including William Ritchie from 1857. It was later absorbed into the Distillers Company Limited (DCL), the forerunner of United Distillers and, ultimately, Diageo. The distillery was fitted with two wash stills and two spirit stills. Its malting floors were closed in 1968 as the industry moved toward centralised maltings, and production itself was mothballed in May 1985 amid a broader downturn that saw many Scottish distilleries close during the 1980s.
Glenury Royal was mothballed in 1985 and production never resumed; the distillery was formally closed and largely demolished in 1993, with the site later redeveloped into housing. Today only the base of the old chimney stack survives as a physical trace of the distillery. Because the distillery is long gone and no new stock has been produced for decades, original Glenury Royal bottlings are highly sought after by collectors. Diageo has released official cask-strength bottlings under its Rare Malts and Special Releases programmes, including a 36-year-old (2005) and a 50-year-old (2003, limited to 498 bottles), which command significant prices at auction as remaining stocks dwindle.
Glenury Royal distillery is located at Broomhill Road, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Glenury Royal distillery was founded in 1825.
Glenury Royal distillery is owned by Diageo.
Glenury Royal distillery is from Highland, scotland.
You can buy Glenury Royal whisky at Glenbotal.co.uk. We currently stock a selection with free UK delivery on orders over £99.
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About Glenbotal
The idea of Glenbotal came to us naturaly: as whisky lovers, we were always on the lookout for new experiences in the whisky world. That’s why we created Glenbotal and became our very own first customers. We buy unique and hard to find spirits from auctions, ballots, and private collections. Then, we share them with a small circle of friends and people who can appreciate a good dram.