The Dalmore
The history of the Dalmore distillery, initially a classic farmhouse distillery, began in 1839. Alexander Matheson founded the distillery with the fortune he had allegedly amassed through the illegal opium trade in Asia. Alexander Matheson was less a whisky distiller than a businessman and immediately leased the distillery to the Sunderland family. When success failed to materialise, the brothers Charles, Andrew and Alexander Mackenzie took over the management of the distillery in 1867. Barely 25 years later, in 1891, it became the property of the Mackenzie family. Today it is one of the best-known single malt distilleries and is still based on the shores of the Cromarty Firth in the northern Highlands.
The bottles of Dalmore whisky are unmistakably adorned with the head of a mighty royal stag. According to history, in 1263 Gerald (Collin) Fitzgerald, a member of the Mackenzie clan, saved King Alexander III from a charging stag. With a single arrow he killed the mighty beast that threatened to impale the king. Out of gratitude and in recognition, King Alexander III then granted the clan the privilege of bearing the twelve-point stag on their coat of arms. Since the takeover of Dalmore's by the Mackenzie family, the head of the royal stag has adorned every bottle to this day.
Thanks to friendly connections between the Mackenzies and James Whyte and Charles Mackay, Dalmore merged with Whyte and Mackay in 1960 to form Whyte & Mackay Ltd, which continued to own the distillery until 2007. In 2007, the company was taken over by its current owners – United Spirits Limited.
The distillery has been expanded several times in the course of history, increasing the production capacity bit by bit. The last time capacity was increased – from 3 million to the current output of 4.2 million litres – was in 1991.
Master distiller Richard Paterson (»The Nose«) joined Whyte & Mackay on 14 September 1970 and has thus worked for The Dalmore for more than fifty years. He is admired around the world for his passion and innovative approach. His immense knowledge has enabled him to succeed in creating extraordinary spirits for The Dalmore and to become a whisky icon himself.
