Roseisle Distillery — Speyside Single Malt Whisky

Roseisle Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery located in Roseisle, near Elgin, Moray, in the Speyside region of Scotland. It was founded in 2010 and is currently owned by Diageo, the multinational drinks company. Built primarily to supply malt whisky for Diageo's blends, most notably Johnnie Walker, Roseisle is one of the largest and most technologically advanced malt distilleries in Scotland and only began releasing single malts under its own name in 2023.

History

Diageo announced plans for a major new distillery at Roseisle in 2007, responding to surging global demand for Scotch whisky, particularly for its flagship blend Johnnie Walker. Construction was completed in 2010 at a cost of around £40 million, making it, at the time, the largest malt distillery built in Scotland in decades, with a footprint of some 3,000 square metres. The site was designed from the outset for scale and flexibility: its stills and process equipment can be configured to produce a wide range of new-make spirit styles, from light and grassy to heavy and sulphurous, allowing Roseisle to act as a "swing" distillery that fills specific gaps in Diageo's blending requirements.

Sustainability was central to the design brief. The distillery shares a site with a dedicated bioenergy plant that processes draff and pot ale from Roseisle and neighbouring Diageo distilleries into renewable energy and animal feed, cutting reliance on fossil fuels. The project won the Scottish Design Award and the RICS Scotland Award for Sustainability and Overall Project of the Year, both in 2010.

For its first decade-plus of operation, Roseisle's output was reserved almost entirely for blending. That changed in September 2023, when Diageo released the first official single malt under the Roseisle name, a 12-year-old bottling nicknamed "The Origami Kite," as part of its annual Special Releases programme. Further Roseisle single malts followed in the 2024 and 2025 Special Releases, including a 14-year-old expression in 2025, and Roseisle spirit has also appeared as a component in other Diageo releases such as Johnnie Walker Black Ruby (2024).

Quick Facts

• Region: Speyside
• Founded: 2010
• Owner: Diageo
• Status: Active
• Stills: 7 wash stills and 7 spirit stills (14 total)

Core Range

Roseisle does not have a conventional core range, as the vast majority of its spirit is used in Diageo blends such as Johnnie Walker rather than bottled as single malt. Since 2023, Diageo has issued limited-edition Roseisle single malts through its annual Special Releases series, including the Roseisle 12 Year Old "The Origami Kite" (2023, 56.5% ABV), Roseisle 12 Year Old (2024 Special Release, Natural Cask Strength, 55.6% ABV), and a 2025 pairing of Roseisle 12 Year Old and Roseisle 14 Year Old expressions.