In this distillery, whisky is being made from the top floor down

If you want to visit the Glen Keith distillery, you can only arrange it in combination with a visit to the iconic Strathisla distillery. That’s simply because Glen Keith doesn’t have a visitor centre. Both distilleries are owned by Chivas Brothers, and if you tour one, you’ll naturally be taken to the other. But did you know gravity plays a starring role at Glen Keith?

From the grounds of the Strathisla distillery you can see Glen Keith, and it immediately stands out as an imposing, above all, tall, building. The distillery reopened in 2013, while Strathisla is the oldest continuously operating distillery in Scotland. Both produce primarily for blended whiskies and are, quite literally, inseparable.

Fun fact: there’s a pipeline running between the two distilleries carrying whisky, of course. As you arrive at Glen Keith’s main entrance, a massive metal staircase leads you straight to the top floor. That’s where the production process for this distillery’s spirit begins.

All malt, upon arrival, is transported straight to the highest point of the building. Which means visitors quickly come face to face with the mill where the malt is crushed into husk, grist, and flour. From there it drops into the mashtun below. How? Thanks to gravity. And gravity has an even bigger role to play here.

After hot water dissolves the sugars, the wort continues its downward journey into the washbacks, a line-up that includes nine wooden vessels of Oregon pine and six stainless-steel ones. Eventually, on the ground floor, the wash meets the copper stills, and from there the casks can be filled.

There’s even a room visitors aren’t allowed to enter, where Glen Keith’s hallmark experiments take place. Collectors and enthusiasts are always on the lookout for bottlings of Glenisla and Craigduff, both produced by Glen Keith in the past.