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SINGLE GRAIN WHISK(e)Y

Public opinion puts grain whisky at the bottom of the heap. It forms the base for
blended whisky and people say the more malt whisky in the blend the better it tastes.
Just as some people say some grape varieties are only good for blending, such as
Grenache, if you give them some bells and whistles they make a palatable and
sometimes very good drink.

As will be seen below, some famous malt whisky producers also make grain whisky,
although there are only six dedicated grain whisky distilleries in Scotland. Unlike a lot
of malts, no peat is used in the making of grain whisky.

The most famous
single grain whisky
is Cameron Brig.
The distillery was
built in 1824 at
Markinch in Fife. The
distillers were John
Haig & Co. and grain
distilling began in the
1840’s. It is now a
large complex
owned by Diageo and most of the production goes into blends.
Cameron Brig is a rare mini but if someone has one for sale or
swap please let me know.

Greenore was for a while
the only single grain
whiskey in Ireland. It was
produced by Cooley
Distillery, which the
Teeling
family
built in
1988.
This distillery has both pot stills and a
continuous still (shown), with the latter used
for Greenore. The brand is now owned by
Beam Suntory and alas is no more as the
whiskey now forms part of Kilbeggan 8yr old,
although a Teeling Single Grain does appear
now and again. Greenore is the port where
the grain is shipped into.

William Grant and Sons produce Glenfiddich,
Balvennie and whisky under their own name.
They also own a grain distillery at Girvan in
Ayrshire. The distillery was built in 1963 to

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