Glen Nevis Profile

Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

This brand of Scotch whisky was named after Campbeltown’s Glen Nevis distillery that closed in 1923, and almost certainly did not contain any of its namesake’s spirit.

Glen Nevis was bottled by the Glen Nevis Distillery Company during the 1970s and ‘80s as a single malt, vatted malt and blended Scotch whisky; a variety of styles for the numerous export markets to which it was shipped.

Following a series of mergers and changes of ownership, the brand is now owned by supermarket chain Wm Morrison.

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  • Production type
    Blended malt

Glen Nevis History

Glen Nevis distillery was established by one of Campbeltown’s great whisky entrepreneurs, Duncan MacCallum, in 1877.  The distillery changed hands several times over the years but ended in the lap of West Highland Malt Distillers, which closed it in 1923.

Its warehouses were combined with Ardlussa distillery’s in 1936 to establish a large blending and bottling facility which was sold to A. Gillies & Co (Distillers) Ltd of Glasgow in 1955, along with Glen Scotia distillery.

Gillies was in turn was taken over by the newly-formed holding company Amalgamated Distilled Products plc in 1970, which created the Glen Nevis Distillery Company as a subsidiary. Under the company name, the Glen Nevis brand continued to be bottled as a 12-year-old single malt – most likely with whisky produced at Glen Scotia – a vatted malt and blended Scotch whisky.

ADP was itself owned by the Argyll Group, which went on to bid unsuccessfully for the Distillers Company in 1985. However in the same year ADP sold off its distilling interests to Gibson International, though the Glen Nevis brand remained. Its trademark was transferred to Safeway (now Wm Morrison) after Argyll’s acquisition of the supermarket chain in 1987. It was bottled in the 1980s as a Safeway exclusive, and although the brand is still owned by Wm Morrison, it is no longer produced. 

Timeline

  • 1877 Glen Nevis distillery is built in Campbeltown by Duncan MacCallum
  • 1923 Glen Nevis is closed, though the warehousing facility remains operational
  • 1936 Glen Nevis and neighbouring Ardlussa warehouses are combined to create a bottling and blending facility
  • 1955 The entire operation, including Glen Scotia distillery, is sold to A. Gillies & Co (Distillers) Ltd.
  • 1970 Amalgamated Distilled Products plc takes over A. Gillies & Co (Distillers) Ltd.
  • 1987 ADP’s owner, Argyll Group, acquires supermarket giant Safeway. Glen Nevis is bottled as a Safeway exclusive

Owner

WM Morrison Supermarkets logo

Current owner

Contact

Address
Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC
Hilmore House
Gain Lane
Bradford
BD3 7DL
United Kingdom
Phone
+44 845 611 5000
Visitor Opening Hours
Not open to the public

Map

See also

  • Amalgamated Distilled Products Amalgamated Distilled Products Amalgamated Distilled Products Distiller & blender

    Amalgamated Distilled Products

    The once-owner of two Campbeltown distilleries briefly operated by James Gulliver’s Argyll Group.

  • Safeway Safeway Safeway Own-label

    Safeway

    Once the UK’s third-largest supermarket chain, which owned the Glen Nevis and Auld Acrimony brands.

  • WM Morrison Supermarkets WM Morrison Supermarkets WM Morrison Supermarkets Own-label

    WM Morrison Supermarkets

    Nineteenth-century Yorkshire food retailer with its own selection of Scotch whiskies.

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