Old Photograph Washback Whisky Distillery Balvenie Scotland

Old photograph the Washback in Balvenie Whisky Distillery in Dufftown in Moray, Scotland. The Balvenie distillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery owned by William Grant & Sons. William Grant was born on 19 December 1839 in his father's house in Dufftown. At seven he began herding cattle at a farm on the upper reaches of the River Deveron. He was apprenticed to a shoemaker then worked as a clerk, and then became a bookkeeper at Mortlach distillery 1866. There he was appointed as a clerk and then manager and learned the distilling trade. After about twenty years, Grant left his job at the Mortlach distillery and bought a field near Balvenie Castle. He then drew up plans for his distillery, and the foundation stone was laid in the autumn of 1886. Grant remained active in the company until his death in 1923 at the age of 83. A washback, of which there is usually more than one at a whisky distillery, is a giant vat. After water has been mixed with barley in a mash tun, it has yeast added and then sits in a washback for several days to ferment, before going on the the next stage of the process.



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