Ian Millar sports an impressive job title — prestige whisky specialist for Glenfiddich — but this whisky veteran has the bona fide credentials to back it up.

Ian has worked in the whisky industry for more than four decades with a hand in just about every part of the process, from distillation to maturation to helping promote the brand.

Glenfiddich is the bestselling single malt in the world, but Millar doesn’t like to dwell on this accolade.

“We like to say we are the world’s most-awarded whisky,” rather than focusing on sales figures, he says, an attitude shared by nearly everyone who works at the distillery.

The Herald:

Glenfiddich is part of the William Grant & Sons company, a family-operated business that owns The Balvenie, Tullamore DEW, and Hendrick’s Gin, among other spirits brands.

Though superlatives regarding both awards and sales may be true, a visit to the Dufftown distillery, in Scotland’s Speyside region, reveals an operation that in many ways still feels like the family-run business it was when William Grant founded it in the 1880s with his brood of sons.

Glenfiddich means “valley of the deer” in Gaelic, and though the distillery is just a few minutes from downtown Dufftown (such as it is), the hills and sweeping forests surrounding the distillery probably still hide more than a few hooved beasts. The whisky is produced and matured on a massive scale.

There are two mash tuns with a capacity of 50,000 liters each, 30 stills are in operation at any given moment, and just under a million barrels are aging onsite containing about 55 million gallons of liquid.

This is all set to increase over the next few years as the distillery undergoes a significant expansion. Representatives are tightlipped about just what this will entail, but you can see buildings under construction as you walk around the distillery.

The Herald:

Reports suggest that the current output of 13 million liters of pure alcohol per year could double upon completion. So yes, Glenfiddich is a mammoth distillery. And it still finds time to innovate and experiment with new expressions, as well as release some very old, very expensive whisky from hand-selected barrels that have been patiently aging for decades.

Glenfiddich 12 is the distillery’s flagship expression, a light and crisp whisky that the folks behind the stills like to describe as having strong notes of pear on the palate. That is just the tip of the iceberg, with bottles ranging from 14 to 26 years old in the main line, then hitting 30, 40, even 50 years old in the pricier prestige range.

The Herald:

There are highly coveted Rare and Vintage expressions, which include unicorns like the 1937 Rare Collection and the recently released 1973 Rare Cask. Over the past few years, the distillery has been tinkering with collaborations and barrel finishes with its Experimental Series.

There are currently three entries: Project XX, India Pale Ale Cask, and the most recent, Winter Storm, a 21-year-old whisky finished in ice wine barrels.

More: 2017 whiskey and spirits releases Glenfiddich remains an important and immensely popular single malt brand that knows how to stay relevant, and consistently produces some incredibly tasty juice. A visit to the distillery will stir any whisky lover’s heart, with its acres of dusky, pungent-smelling warehouses, surprisingly delicious food at The Malt House restaurant, and of course, excellent whisky to sample.

The Herald:

You can also check out Glenfiddich’s sister distillery, The Balvenie, which is just next door but operates on a smaller scale and produces very different whisky. Kininvie is tucked away on the Glenfiddich grounds as well, a diminutive distillery that mostly produces whisky for use in Monkey Shoulder blended malt (though it has released a few single malts as well).

Tours at Glenfiddich range from 90 minutes to four hours, with a variety of options regarding tasting, areas of the distillery explored and pricing. Reservations are recommended, and the distillery is open all year to visitors.