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The Early
Years — 1890s to 1950 JOHN L S GRANT tells the
story about GLENFARCLAS |
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Johns uncle John
Peter Grant (left),
his grandfather George Grant and
his father George S Grant. |
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We
do not know exactly when distilling started at Glenfarclas. As
I’m sure you are aware, this is a common problem in Scotland
because, for a long period of time, excessive taxation drove
whisky production underground. Today many distilleries are built
on the same spot as the original illegal stills.
Our distillery was legally established in 1836, although a 1791
watercolour suggests that distilling had taken place at
Glenfarclas for many years previously. At that time, distilling
was very much a part-time activity on Highland farms; in our
case, Rechlerich Farm, a tenancy on the Ballindalloch Estate. My
family’s involvement with Glenfarclas began in 1865, when my
great great grandfather, John Grant, acquired the tenancy for
Rechlerich. As part of the transaction, he bought the distillery
for £511 and 19s – a substantial amount at the time, but less
than half the total purchase price. John was a farmer, not a
distiller, so it was the land, the farm buildings, machinery and
mill which interested him.
Over time, of course, distilling became a more important part of
the family’s activities, although we still continued to farm
until the late 1980s.
The 1890s marked a period of rapid growth in the whisky trade
so, in a bid to generate additional capital to invest in the
distillery my |
grandfather, George, and his brother formed a
partnership with Leith-based blenders Pattison, Elder & Co. The
partnership did not last long. The Pattisons were brilliant
marketers, but not so good accountants. In
1898, they went
bankrupt, leaving my grandfather with severe debts. He vowed
never to involve outside investors again. The Spirit of
Independence was born.
The first half of the 20th century was not the easiest period in
our history. Debts |
“The spirit of independence” |
from the Pattison crash still had to be
repaid, distilling was restricted during the World Wars, and
Prohibition in the US hit hard. On the positive side, when the
lease from Ballindalloch Estate expired in 1930, my grandfather
purchased the freehold for Glenfarclas outright. We ceased to be
tenants.
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