Miltonduff Distillery — Speyside Single Malt Whisky

Miltonduff Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery located near Elgin, in the Speyside region of Scotland. It was founded in 1824 and is currently owned by Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky division of Pernod Ricard. Miltonduff is best known as a key malt in the Ballantine's blended Scotch whisky, having supplied that brand since 1936.

History

Miltonduff was established in 1824 by Andrew Peary and Robert Bain, who took out a licence to distil following the Excise Act of 1823. The distillery takes its name from the Duff family, who once owned the local estate; the site itself, known as "Milton," had previously been the mill of Pluscarden Abbey and was prized for its abundant, high-quality water supply. In 1866 the distillery was bought by William Stuart, owner of Highland Park, and in 1890 he went into partnership with Thomas Yool, a period during which the distillery was expanded and annual output passed one million litres of alcohol. Ownership passed to Hiram Walker in 1936, the same year Miltonduff became a mainstay malt in the Ballantine's blend, and later to Allied Domecq. Between 1964 and 1981 the distillery also operated a pair of Lomond stills to produce a distinct single malt called Mosstowie, since discontinued. Pernod Ricard acquired Allied Domecq in 2005 and placed Miltonduff under its Chivas Brothers subsidiary. In 2022 Chivas Brothers announced an £88 million investment programme, shared with Aberlour distillery, to expand capacity using sustainable Mechanical Vapour Recompression technology, with new facilities completed by 2025.

Quick Facts

• Region: Speyside, Scotland
• Founded: 1824
• Owner: Chivas Brothers (Pernod Ricard)
• Status: Active
• Stills: 3 wash stills and 3 spirit stills (18,000 litres each)

Core Range

Miltonduff operates primarily as a workhorse distillery supplying malt for the Ballantine's blend, and has no standing official core range today. Official single malt bottlings have been rare and largely discontinued, including past 10, 12, and 15 year old expressions bottled around 43% ABV. The distillery's single malt is more commonly found through independent bottlers, alongside the historic Lomond-still Mosstowie malt produced between 1964 and 1981.