Our Story

The gift of a King, the 12-point Royal Stag proudly adorns each bottle of The Dalmore. It encapsulates the distillery’s regal legacy, dating back to 1263. The emblem was bestowed upon Colin of Kintail, the first chieftain of Clan Mackenzie, after he saved the life of King Alexander III of Scotland from the fury of a charging stag.

In 1839, the Dalmore distillery was founded by Alexander Matheson, a merchant adventurer determined to create an exceptional single malt whisky. In 1867, descendants of Clan Mackenzie took control of the distillery. One of their first changes was to adorn every bottle of The Dalmore with the stag – a guarantee of peerless quality.

The idiosyncratic collection of stills at the distillery creates a unique new make spirit – robust and fruity, particularly well-suited to longer and more complex maturation. This allows our whisky makers to ensure each cask of our spirit reaches its full potential.

Richard Paterson, a pioneer in the art of cask curation, was the creative force behind The Dalmore for nearly five decades. He lit the way for our current Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass who continues an unbroken chain of visionary whisky makers, always pushing boundaries to mature our spirit in the rarest and most exalted of casks.

Through an unbroken chain of visionary whisky makers, The Dalmore has forged long-standing relationships with some of the world's greatest bodegas and wineries, securing exclusive access to their finest casks.

Under the expert eye of our whisky makers, the years are put to work: time and cask and artistry – together shaping our spirit to create an unparalleled whisky.

The Dalmore is a masterpiece, made with a relentless focus on realising the full potential of our single malt.