Scottish distilleries that don’t use the word glen will still use words with a Gaelic origin. Glendullan (Glen-dull-an) – Valley of RockĮstablished in 1897, this distillery is named after the many rocky outcrops located nearby. Located near Alves, Moray, the name of this 200+ year old distillery comes from the Scots Gaelic uisge beatha, meaning “water of life”. Glenburgie (Glen-Bur-gee) – Valley of Water of Life This family-owned much of the land upon which Glenrothes has been built. This distillery is named after the Earl of Rothes, of the Leslie family from north east Scotland. Glenrothes (Glen-Roth-iss) – Valley of the Earl of Rothes It perfectly matches their whisky, which has bramble fruit and oak flavours. The name means Valley of Brambles in Scots Gaelic. Located in the Eastern highlands in the fertile valley of Forgue.
GlenDronach (Glen-Drawhn-ick) – Valley of the brambles This distillery is located in Highlands near the Dornach Firth (eastern coast). The name is said to come from the Gaelic Gleann Mòr na Sìth “vale of tranquillity” or Gleann Mór-innse “vale of big meadows”. Glenmorangie (Glen-Mahr-en-gee) – Vale of tranquility Located near Craigellachie and Mortlach in Dufftown, Moray, Scotland, this region was known for containing many wild deer. Glenfiddich (Glen-Fid-ick) – Valley of the deer The Gaelic meaning of the word Livet being either “slippery”, “smooth place”,”full of water” or “floody”. Located in the Scottish Highlands, the distillery is in a glen through which the River Livet flows.
#GLEN DOCKART SCOTCH FULL#
Glenlivet (Glen-Liv-it) – Valley full of water Here are a few names of common whiskies explained: That’s the reason why you see a picture of a stag on the label of Glenfiddich - the distilleries name means Valley Of The Deer.
In many cases, you will notice that distilleries will include a picture of the animal, person, or geographical feature that is in their name on their label. That’s because carting huge piles of stone, distillation equipment, and raw materials to the top of a mountainside didn’t seem like a good idea to whiskey makers.Īs a result, they began to adopt the names of the valleys in which they were situated. The distilleries that have been built in Scotland over the years have tended to be in valleys. Glengarknok is so named because it is a valley through which the river Garnknok flows. The Scottish tribesmen would name glens based upon what animals, people, or geographic features were in the area.įor example, a location like Glenlivet (Glen-Liv-it), received its name because it is full of water (Glenlivet means Valley full of water). The Scotts found it to be a frequently used term because it helped them describe various locations within the Scottish Highlands, which is a vast region with very few towns or cities. A strath being a large valley that usually contains a river. Glen has also been described by historians as a “Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands” that is “narrower than a strath”. It is Goidelic in origin, coming from the Gleann in Irish and Scottish Gaelic, and Glion in Manx.
The word “glen” is from the Gaelic language and means “in the valley of”. One common question I hear from Scotch drinkers is: Why do the names of so many Scotch whisky distilleries start with the word “Glen”?Īnd many more feature the word, but why? Read on to discover the answer… What Does “Glen” Mean? If you have developed a passion for drinking Scotch whisky, you probably have a few questions about the origins of this wonderful spirit.