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Everything you need to know about Kininvie Distillery
Most popular bottles from the distillery
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Kininvie 17 Year Old Scotch Malt Whisky 1996 Batch 001 35clSpecial Price £147.48 Regular Price £189.98 Inc VATSaving £42.5 -
Hazelwood (Kininvie) 15 Year Old Whisky 105 Janet Sheed Roberts£599.99 Inc VAT
A brief History
Kininvie, Speyside Region, Scotland. Founded in 1990.
Kininvie is one of Speyside’s most unusual distilleries. Not because of how it tastes — but because of how quietly it operates.
Built in 1990 in Dufftown, right beside Balvenie and Glenfiddich, Kininvie was designed primarily to supply malt whisky for blends. It sits inside the same large William Grant & Sons complex, yet for years you could barely find its name on a bottle.
That’s intentional. Kininvie was never meant to be a flagship single malt brand. It was created to strengthen blending stocks, particularly for brands like Monkey Shoulder and other William Grant expressions.
Only in recent years has Kininvie appeared as a standalone single malt in limited releases. And when it does, it shows a clean, modern Speyside profile — light fruit, vanilla, polished oak.
Think of Kininvie as a behind-the-scenes Speyside malt that occasionally steps into the spotlight.
Taste Profile
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Sweet |
Fruity | Oaky / Woody |
Kininvie is typically light and fruit-led. Orchard fruit notes sit alongside creamy vanilla and honeyed sweetness from American oak maturation. The spirit is clean and modern, without heavy sulphur or strong peat influence.
There’s no smoke in the core style. Instead, you get clarity, balance, and smooth texture. It’s the type of Speyside malt that blends well — which makes sense given its primary role.
Top 4 Flavour Profile Ingredients
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Apple / Pears |
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Vanilla |
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Honey |
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Oak / Wood Spice |
Most Popular Bottles
Because official releases are limited, Kininvie single malts are not widely available.
Kininvie 17 Year Old
One of the better-known official releases. Light fruit, vanilla, soft oak spice.
Kininvie 23 Year Old
More depth and polish. Ripe fruit and well-integrated wood.
Independent Bottlings
Occasional single cask releases showing slightly different cask influences.
Most of Kininvie’s output still goes into blends rather than named single malt bottlings.
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The Distillery
The Distiller: Kininvie Distillery
Address: Dufftown, Banffshire, AB55 4BB, Scotland
 Open in maps |
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Visitor Centre & Opening Times
Kininvie does not operate its own visitor centre.
Visits are typically linked to the Glenfiddich or Balvenie visitor experiences, as all three distilleries sit on the same site.
Ownership History
Current Owner
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William Grant & Sons
Founded in 1990 as part of the William Grant portfolio. It has remained under the same family ownership since inception.
Distillery Facts
Overview & History
Kininvie Distillery is located in Dufftown, Speyside, and was founded in 1990 by William Grant & Sons. It sits within the same distillery complex as Glenfiddich and Balvenie, sharing infrastructure but operating as a distinct production unit.
Unlike many Speyside distilleries, Kininvie was built primarily to supply malt whisky for blending rather than for a standalone single malt brand. For most of its existence, it remained largely invisible to consumers.
Official single malt releases only began appearing decades after production started, often in limited markets.
Production
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Spirit Type: Single malt Scotch whisky
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Stills: Traditional copper pot stills (six in total)
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Ownership: William Grant & Sons
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Primary Use: Blending stock (notably for Grant’s blended Scotch)
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Cask Policy: Predominantly ex-bourbon, with some sherry influence
Kininvie produces a clean, medium-bodied Speyside spirit designed for versatility in blends rather than overt individuality.
Whisky Style
Kininvie typically shows:
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Light orchard fruit
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Vanilla and honey
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Gentle oak
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Soft, rounded finish
It does not aim for heavy peat or sherry intensity. The profile is controlled, consistent, and blending-friendly.
Key Expressions
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Kininvie 17 Year Old – One of the first official releases
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Kininvie 23 Year Old – Limited age-stated bottling
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Occasional travel retail and Asia-focused releases
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Independent bottlings (rare)
Most production continues to be directed into blends rather than wide-scale single malt distribution.
Significance
Kininvie is structurally important within the William Grant portfolio as a blending component. It demonstrates how modern Scotch producers build capacity specifically for blend architecture rather than single malt branding.
Its late emergence as a standalone single malt reflects the commercial reality of Speyside production — many distilleries exist primarily to support blended Scotch, not consumer-facing single malt identity.
Kininvie Whisky to Buy
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Kininvie 17 Year Old Scotch Malt Whisky 1996 Batch 001 35clSpecial Price £147.48 Regular Price £189.98 Inc VATSaving £42.5
Carefully Packed
& Protected
Every bottle is securely packed to ensure it arrives safely.
Free UK Delivery
Over £99
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