Did you Know Kininvie’s Mashtun and Washbacks Call Balvenie home?

Anyone who’s ever been to Dufftown, the capital of single malt whisky, knows that the Glenfiddich distillery grounds are vast. As you stroll along, you can admire Glenfiddich’s impressive array of stills, pass by Balvenie, and, if you look closely, spot the Kininvie distillery tucked away among the trees at the edge of the site.

In 1990, the William Grant & Sons (WGS) family, owners of Glenfiddich and Balvenie, founded the Kininvie distillery to meet the growing demand for blends and to fuel experimentation. One such blend is Monkey Shoulder, launched in 2003. Could the success of blended malt Monkey Shoulder be owed in large part to one of the single malts used in it?

Kininvie, for instance, has its own dedicated space housing the Wash and Spirit stills along with shell-and-tube condensers. But to distill, you need wort, and ultimately wash. That’s where the neighbouring The Balvenie Distillery comes in. Kininvie does not have it's own in house mashtuns.

Kininvie’s mashtun sits within The Balvenie Distillery buildings and is used exclusively to produce wort for Kininvie, bright and crystal-clear, designed to yield a light, fruity new-make spirit.

The ten wooden washbacks made from Douglas fir also play a vital role. Fermentation for Kininvie runs a full 70 hours with a specific recipe and yeast strains. Once the wash is ready, it travels by pipeline from the Balvenie distillery to the Kininvie still house.

At this Scottish single malt distillery, the focus is squarely on the quality and consistency of its whiskies, The whiskymaker does not put any focus on guided tours or whisky tastings in the distillery. As a result, Kininvie does not have a visitor centre for you to wander around.

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