Braeval
Distillery is among one of the youngest distilleries in
Scotland. Built in 1973 by Chivas Brothers (Seagram's),
it was originally named Braes of Glenlivet. However, while
the name linked the distillery to its sister distillery,
The Glenlivet, it also created confusion and was a legal
nightmare for Seagram's. As a result, the name was later
changed in 1995 to Braeval. While the distillery produces
malt whisky for several different blenders, it is a huge
contributor to the Chivas Regal blends. Pernod Ricard acquired
Chivas Brothers in 2001.
The distillery's location is situated at 1,100 feet (335
m) above sea level which makes is the highest distillery
in all of Scotland. As one would imagine, the views are
breathtaking. While the distillery is quite impressive and
modern, it was built to by run as a one man operation -
without any computerized automation. In 1997, computers
were installed and
enabled monitoring and operating the distillery through
just a simple mouse click!
Pernod Ricard mothballed the distillery in 2002 due to overproduction.
Braeval's sister distillery, Allt-A-Bhainne,
was also closed down a few months later, although reopened
in 2005. It is unknown as to whether Braeval Distillery
will resume production. |