Why they revere Robbie Dhu at Glenfiddich
The Glenfiddich visitor centre, the first of its kind to open to the public, is celebrating its 40th birthday this year. Peter Mitchell took the opportunity to get an insight into the history of Glenfiddich and the whisky production process, and enjoy a whisky tasting or two
Published:
A CERTAIN Robbie Dhu enjoys great fame in the upper reaches of Banffshire.
No, he is not a kilted Highland warrior who spent his life repelling and felling foreigners. Robbie Dhu is the name of the spring near Dufftown whose water is the precious lifeblood of Glenfiddich malt whisky of varying ages.
World favourite is the 12-year-old, which can be found in more than 180 countries.
Having a world-beater on his hands would no doubt amaze William Grant, who founded Glenfiddich in 1886 after working for 20 years at Mortlach Distillery, also at Dufftown.
He put eight of his nine children to work, and the family link remains strong today through current chairman Peter Grant Gordon, now the fifth generation.
Another strong feature of the distillery ethos is the importance of its pioneering visitor centre, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
Team leader of the guides is Pompey man Brian Robinson, who came to Scotland five years ago, and the kilted Englishman told a visiting party of writers from around the world – and even Aberdeen – how important the centre is.
“At the height of the season, we have more than 30 multilingual guides available,” he said.
“That’s because 75% of our visitors come from abroad.
“Last year, we had 65,500 through the doors, with 13,000 from Germany and more than 6,000 from France.”
At time of writing, no Mandarin speaker had been lined up for the 2009 season. However, for the benefit of one of the visiting scribes – Taiwanese business writer Blue Lan, from Taipei – Glenfiddich went to the trouble of discovering Inverness College IT and administration student Florence Wilkesson, from Dingwall, to act as her interpreter.
Tours are free, although you can pay £20 a head for the deluxe version, an extended two-and-a-half-hour excursion with four whiskies to sample at the end of it.
Another vital part of the equation in whisky-making is the wood used in the barrels, which is said to account for 60% of the final flavour.
This was emphasised at a nosing and tasting of six whiskies of different ages, up to a 30-year-old, by master blender David Stewart.
An Ayr man who started learning his trade in 1962, he said Glenfiddich buys thousands of American bourbon casks and some Spanish sherry butts.
These go to the firm’s own cooperage nearby to be prepared for use at the distillery.
The man in charge there is Don Ramsay, who started his working life on Christmas Day, 1961, one week after his 15th birthday, later serving a four-year apprenticeship to become a cooper.
Glenfiddich wined and dined its visiting scribes in the Robbie Dhu Centre in the company of Peter Grant Gordon and David Stewart.
Haggis, neeps and tatties were followed by a blockbuster venison dish and forest fruit and whisky parfait tart.
However, the piece de resistance after dinner came from Mr Stewart.
In honour of the 40th anniversary of the visitor centre, he produced glasses of 40-year-old Glenfiddich as a grand finale.
Even better, he announced that the firm is about to bottle a 50-year-old Glenfiddich. But start saving now – it will retail at £7,500 a bottle.
The Glenfiddich visitor centre was opened in July, 1969, by Janet Roberts, whose husband, Eric, was then chairman. This remarkable woman, the granddaughter of the founder, is still alive at 107 and living in the Dufftown area.
On average, more than 70,000 visitors a year flock to the heart of malt-whisky territory to see the traditional methods employed in creating the world’s most awarded single-malt Scotch whisky.
In 2008, 75% of these visitors flew in from 95 countries, including destinations as far afield as Japan, Russia and China, to visit the five-star distillery visitor centre and bear witness to Glenfiddich’s time-honoured techniques. For 2009, a guide team is currently gearing up to accept another influx of overseas and domestic visitors, with tours available in nine languages.
Glenfiddich Distillery tours offer the opportunity to see skilled craftsmen – 10 of whom have been mending and tending the casks at the distillery since the visitor centre opened 40 years ago – carefully maintaining the distinctive flavour of Glenfiddich using processes lost to most other distilleries.
For UK-based visitors embracing “stay-cations” this year, Glenfiddich promises a truly special immersive experience, one that will far outlast that would-be summer tan.
The five-star Glenfiddich visitor centre has outstanding facilities and multilingual guides, and includes a dram with the cost of the tour.
To book a group visit, phone the Glenfiddich Distillery visitor centre on 01340 820373, or complete the booking request form on the website at www.glenfiddich.com
Readers' Comments