Glengoyne Distillery is located at the foot of Dumgoyne Hill near Loch Lomond. The burning in the distillery, as is known, rushes down Dumgoyne Hill and provides water for the distillery's capacity of 1.1 million liters. In the past, the wooded and undulating landscape that covered the surrounding area provided a great shelter for illegal distilleries, which were created as a result of very high taxes on hard alcohol. It is said that at the beginning of the 19th century there were about 18 illegal distilleries in this area. The whiskey that came from those distilleries was taken to a local blacksmith who filled clay pots with a rough, wild drink and employed local girls who walked 14 miles to Glasgow with whiskey hidden in their crinoline skirts. The dense forest once provided refuge for Rob Roy MacGregor, who was hiding in a small cave when he was persecuted by the English army.
In 1833, local farmer George Connell was licensed to legally produce whiskey in the area. He founded the Burnfoot Distillery, which became Glenguin Distillery in 1862 and then changed to Glengoyne in 1906. Previous Lang Brothers owners were bought by Robertson and Baxter. The distillery was renovated and another boiler was installed. In 1984, Lang Brothers received a Royal Warrant for delivering whiskey to the Queen Mother. In April 2003, Ian MacLeod bought Lang's mixed products and Glengoyne Distillery from the Edrington Group for £ 7.2 million.
The water is peatted and malt is similarly used without peat. Glengoyne is one of a few such whiskeys in Scotland, but it is the only one that has made it the most preferred. Glengoyne has the slowest distillation rate in Scotland. Alcohol comes from the boiler at a rate of about 4-5 liters per minute, which promotes the formation of "esters", which give Glengoyne its characteristically sweet and delicate taste. The alcohol then matures in oak barrels from Spain, where Sherry used to be. Ian Macleod Distillers take care of this whole process. When the oak is burned, it is cut into strips and then dried in the sun in northern Spain for two years, and only then is it made a barrel and filled with Dry Oloroso Sherry for another two years.
A small cluster of distillery buildings is still owned by Ian Macleod and many official lines have been issued, although independent products are rather rare. The distillery has a visitor center that offers the widest range of visits to Scotland, including master classes, blending meetings and opportunities to sample keg samples and help Glengoyne choose the first ever edition of Distillery Exclusive Single Cask.
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