Roseisle Distillery
Roseisle Distillery is Diageo's largest malt whisky distillery and one of the most modern in Scotland, located near Elgin in Moray on the Speyside periphery. Announced in 2007 and built at a cost of £40 million, Roseisle began test production in 2009 and was officially unveiled in October 2010. At 3,000 square metres, it immediately became the largest malt distillery in Diageo's portfolio — and in Scotland — with a production capacity of approximately 10 million litres of pure alcohol per year. Built primarily to supply malt for Diageo's blended Scotch brands (principally Johnnie Walker), Roseisle also won the Scottish Design Award 2010 and the RICS Scotland 2010 Project of the Year.
Tours
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On-site Shop
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Online Shop
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History
Diageo announced plans in 2007 for a new "super-distillery" in Morayshire, designed to replace malt capacity lost when older distilleries were closed across previous decades. Construction was completed by 2009 when test production began. The distillery was officially unveiled in October 2010 at a total cost of £40 million. Its 10-million-litre annual capacity immediately overtook Dufftown Distillery as the largest of Diageo's 28 malt whisky distilleries.
The facility gained significant recognition for its environmental and architectural credentials. It won the Scottish Design Award 2010, the RICS Scotland Sustainability Award 2010, and the overall RICS Scotland Project of the Year 2010. In 2023, Diageo released the first widely available single malt bottling from the distillery — the Roseisle 12 Year Old — as part of the annual Diageo Special Releases programme, revealing the distillery's character to the wider whisky world for the first time. In 2024, Roseisle malt appeared in Johnnie Walker Black Ruby.
Production
Roseisle operates seven wash stills and seven spirit stills — fourteen stills in total — making it one of the largest still rooms in Scottish whisky by equipment count. Annual capacity is approximately 10,000,000 litres of pure alcohol, sourced from a borehole on site. The distillery is notable for its dual production capability: it can produce either a lighter, fruity-floral style or a heavier, more robust style depending on blending requirements, giving Diageo significant versatility from a single site. Environmental credentials are strong: by-products including draff and pot ale are processed on site, and the facility integrates a biomass boiler system for energy efficiency.
Tasting Character
Roseisle produces a versatile malt suited primarily to blending. When bottled as a single malt in the 2023 Diageo Special Release, the Roseisle 12 Year Old revealed a sweet, malty, and lightly spiced character with tropical fruit notes — an accessible, modern Speyside profile. The dual-style capability of the distillery means spirit produced in the "light" configuration will show tropical fruit and floral notes, while "heavy" runs tend toward more robust, fuller-bodied character.
What They Produce
Notable Bottlings
- Roseisle 12 Year Old (Diageo Special Releases 2023)£150.00 — First major single malt release; sweet, malty, tropical fruit; revelation of the distillery's character
- Roseisle (for Johnnie Walker Black Ruby, 2024) — Component in Diageo's blended expressions
- Roseisle (for Diageo blending) — The vast majority of production; contributes to Johnnie Walker and other blended Scotch brands
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Visiting
Roseisle Distillery is not open to visitors. There is no visitor centre, public tours, or retail shop.