Distilleries and ownershipData study
Who owns Scotch whisky? The distillery family tree
Three companies own 59% of Scotland’s stated distilling capacity, and Diageo alone owns 31 of its 158 operating distilleries.
59% of Scotland’s stated distilling capacity is owned by three companies; Diageo has 31 of 158 operating distilleries
Who owns each operating Scotch distillery
158 operating distilleries, owners as recorded in August 2026. Circle area = stated capacity a year. Open a group for its closed sites.
Diageo 31 operating, 43 closed · 27.7% of capacity · 48 bottles in stock
- Cameronbridge110m grain
- Roseisle12.5m
- Glen Ord11.9m
- Teaninich10.2m
- Caol Ila6.5m
- Dufftown6m
- Mannochmore6m
- Auchroisk5.9m
- Linkwood5.6m
- Dailuaine5.2m
- Glendullan5m
- Clynelish4.8m
- Mortlach3.8m
- Glenlossie3.7m
- Benrinnes3.5m
- Talisker3.5m
- Cardhu3.4m
- Inchgower3.2m
- Lagavulin3.2m
- Blair Athol2.8m
- Glen Elgin2.7m
- Strathmill2.6m
- Glenkinchie2.5m
- Cragganmore2.2m
- Dalwhinnie2.2m
- Port Ellen1.7m
- Glen Spey1.5m
- Knockando1.4m
- Brora1m
- Oban925,000
- Royal Lochnagar500,000
× Closed in the group's history: Adelphi (1907), Argyll (1929), Auchinblae (1930), Auchtertool (1927), Banff (1993), Bankier (1928), Benmore (1936), Bo'ness (1925), Caledonian (1988), Cambus (1993), Camlachie (1920), Carsebridge (1983), Clydesdale (1988), Convalmore (1995), Dallas Dhu (1983), Dean (1922), Drumcaldie (1903), Dundashill (1902), Gartloch (1921), Glen Albyn (1986), Glen Mhor (1986), Glen Sciennes (1925), Glenesk (1996), Glenlochy (1983), Glenochil (1929), Glenury Royal (1993), Grange (1925), Hazelburn (1983), Kirkliston (1910), Lochead (1928), Lochindaal (1929), Lochruan (1925), Millburn (1985), North Port (1994), Old Clynelish/Brora (1983), Parkmore (1931), Pittyvaich (1993), Port Dundas (2010), Saucel (1915), St Magdalene (1983), Strathmore (1982), Stronachie (1930), Yoker (1927).
William Grant & Sons 5 operating, 1 closed · 18.2% of capacity · 14 bottles in stock
- Girvan110m grain
- Glenfiddich21m
- Ailsa Bay12m
- Balvenie7m
- Kininvie4.5m
× Closed in the group's history: Ladyburn (1975).
Pernod Ricard 13 operating, 7 closed · 13% of capacity · 18 bottles in stock
- Strathclyde39m grain
- Glenlivet21m
- Dalmunach10m
- Glen Keith6m
- Miltonduff5.8m
- Longmorn4.5m
- Glenburgie4.3m
- Allt-a-Bhainne4.2m
- Braeval4.2m
- Glentauchers4.2m
- Aberlour3.8m
- Strathisla2.5m
- Scapa1.3m
× Closed in the group's history: Caperdonich (2011), Dumbarton (2002), Glenugie (1983), Imperial (1998), Inverleven (1991), Inverleven & Lomond (1991), Kinclaith (1982).
Pernod Ricard: bottles to compare · 1 planned
Lothian Distillers (Diageo / The Edrington Group) 1 operating · 8.5% of capacity
Lothian Distillers (Diageo / The Edrington Group): bottles to compare
Emperador Inc 5 operating · 6.4% of capacity · 15 bottles in stock
La Martiniquaise (COFEPP) 2 operating · 3.9% of capacity
- Starlaw25m grain
- Glen Moray8.4m
Loch Lomond Group (Hillhouse Capital) 3 operating, 1 closed · 2.8% of capacity · 2 bottles in stock
- Loch Lomond Grain18m grain
- Loch Lomond5m
- Glen Scotia800,000
× Closed in the group's history: Littlemill (2004).
The Edrington Group 3 operating · 2.7% of capacity · 17 bottles in stock
Bacardi 5 operating · 2.6% of capacity · 5 bottles in stock
Suntory (Beam Suntory) 5 operating · 1.6% of capacity · 16 bottles in stock
International Beverage (ThaiBev) 5 operating, 2 closed · 1.5% of capacity · 13 bottles in stock
× Closed in the group's history: Garnheath (1986), Glen Flagler / Killyloch (1985).
Moet Hennessy (LVMH) 2 operating · 1.1% of capacity · 27 bottles in stock
Distell (CVH Spirits) 3 operating · 0.9% of capacity · 19 bottles in stock
Ian Macleod Distillers 4 operating · 0.8% of capacity · 7 bottles in stock
- Tamdhu4m
- Glengoyne1.2m
- Laggan Bay1m
- Rosebank1m
Brown-Forman 3 operating · 0.7% of capacity · 11 bottles in stock
Elixir Distillers 1 operating · 0.6% of capacity
Elixir Distillers: bottles to compare · 1 planned
Takara Shuzo / Marubeni (Japan) 1 operating · 0.6% of capacity · 3 bottles in stock
Angus Dundee Distillers 2 operating · 0.5% of capacity · 1 bottle in stock
Picard Vins & Spiritueux 1 operating · 0.4% of capacity
Nikka (Asahi) 1 operating · 0.2% of capacity · 1 bottle in stock
Remy Cointreau 1 operating · 0.2% of capacity · 11 bottles in stock
Isle of Arran Distillers 2 operating · 0.2% of capacity · 11 bottles in stock
Gordon & MacPhail 2 operating · 0.2% of capacity · 3 bottles in stock
- The Cairn1m
- Benromach700,000
J & A Mitchell (family) 2 operating · 0.1% of capacity
Marussia Beverages 2 operating · 0.1% of capacity · 5 bottles in stock
- Torabhaig500,000
- Reivers100,000 grain
Marussia Beverages: bottles to compare · 1 planned
R&B Distillers 1 operating · under 0.1% of capacity
R&B Distillers: bottles to compare · 2 planned
Bimber Distillery 1 operating · under 0.1% of capacity
- Dunphail200,000
Douglas Laing 1 operating · under 0.1% of capacity
- Strathearn60,000
Douglas Laing: bottles to compare · 1 planned
Independent and family owners 49 operating · 3.6% of capacity · 34 bottles in stock
- GlenAllachie4m
- InchDairnie4m
- Glenfarclas3.5m
- The Borders1.6m
- Bladnoch1.5m
- Falkirk1.2m
- Ardnahoe1m
- Ardross1m
- Balmaud1m
- Eden Mill1m
- Ardgowan900,000
- Aberargie750,000
- Bonnington720,000
- Burnobennie680,000
- The Clydeside680,000
- Kilchoman660,000
- Kingsbarns600,000
- Annandale500,000
- Ardnamurchan500,000
- Glenturret500,000
- Port of Leith400,000
- Harris399,000
- Glasgow365,000
- Benbecula350,000
- Edradour340,000
- Jackton300,000
- Holyrood250,000
- Lerwick250,000
- Lindores Abbey225,000
- Arbikie200,000
- Lochlea200,000
- 8 Doors150,000
- Cabrach140,000
- Wolfburn135,000
- GlenWyvis120,000
- Ballindalloch100,000
- Nc'nean100,000
- Castletown Mill80,000
- Levenbank80,000
- Daftmill65,000
- Kythe60,000
- North Uist50,000
- Abhainn Dearg20,000
- Dornoch12,000
- Deernessnot stated
- Drummygarnot stated
- Inver Housenot stated
- Stirlingnot stated
- The Bothynot stated
Independent distilleries: bottles to compare · 10 planned
No owner or distillery matches.
Our records name Distell (CVH Spirits) as the owner of Bunnahabhain, Deanston and Tobermory, as at the 14 August 2026 snapshot. Heineken completed its purchase of Distell in April 2023, but our records have not been re-verified for these three distilleries, so we show the owner as recorded rather than guess.
Which distilleries feed the big blends, and who owns them
Only links our distillery records state in so many words. The owner is the distillery's, not always the brand's.
Show as a table, with the words our records use
| Brand | Distillery | Link | Distillery owner today | What our records say |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dewar's | Aberfeldy | spiritual home | Bacardi | the spiritual home of the Dewar's blend |
| Aultmore | key malt | Bacardi | Long a blending malt for Dewar's | |
| Craigellachie | key malt | Bacardi | Key Dewar's blending malt | |
| Royal Brackla | key malt | Bacardi | A key Dewar's malt | |
| Macduff | key malt | Bacardi | Mostly a blending malt for Dewar's | |
| J&B | Knockando | key malt | Diageo | A key malt for the J&B blend |
| Glen Spey | key malt | Diageo | a key component of J&B | |
| Strathmill | key malt | Diageo | a key J&B component | |
| Auchroisk | built to supply | Diageo | Built by Justerini & Brooks (J&B) for blending | |
| The Famous Grouse brand owner: Edrington (The Robertson Trust) | Glenturret | spiritual home | Lalique Group/Hansjorg Wyss (independent) | spiritual 'home of The Famous Grouse' blend |
| Glenrothes | key malt | The Edrington Group | A key malt for Cutty Sark and Famous Grouse blends | |
| Highland Park | component | The Edrington Group | Key component malts: Glenturret, Highland Park, The Macallan, The Glenrothes | |
| Macallan | component | The Edrington Group | Key component malts: Glenturret, Highland Park, The Macallan, The Glenrothes | |
| Ballantine's | Glenburgie | key malt | Pernod Ricard | A key malt for the Ballantine's blend |
| Miltonduff | key malt | Pernod Ricard | A key malt for the Ballantine's blend | |
| Glentauchers | key malt | Pernod Ricard | Long a key Ballantine's blending malt | |
| Bell's | Blair Athol | key malt | Diageo | most output goes to the Bell's blend |
| Inchgower | key malt | Diageo | a key component of Bell's | |
| Johnnie Walker | Cardhu | spiritual home | Diageo | Spiritual home of the Johnnie Walker blend |
| Caol Ila | key malt | Diageo | most output goes to blends (notably Johnnie Walker) | |
| Chivas Regal | Strathisla | spiritual home | Pernod Ricard | the spiritual home of the Chivas Regal blend |
| Cutty Sark | Glenrothes | key malt | The Edrington Group | A key malt for Cutty Sark and Famous Grouse blends |
| Grant's | Kininvie | built to supply | William Grant & Sons | primarily for blends (Grant's, Monkey Shoulder) |
| Monkey Shoulder | Kininvie | built to supply | William Grant & Sons | primarily for blends (Grant's, Monkey Shoulder) |
| Teacher's | Ardmore | built to supply | Suntory (Beam Suntory) | built to supply the Teacher's Highland Cream blend |
| White Horse | Glen Elgin | key malt | Diageo | A key malt for the White Horse blend |
Share of UK shelves vs share of capacity
Partial on both sides: 281 of 336 in-stock Scotch bottles we price have a known distillery (blends without one are left out); capacity covers the 153 distilleries with a stated figure.
Show as a table
| Owner | In-stock Scotch bottles | Share of bottles | Stated capacity (litres of pure alcohol a year) | Share of capacity | Distilleries with a figure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diageo | 48 | 17.1% | 235,925,000 | 27.7% | 31 of 31 |
| William Grant & Sons | 14 | 5% | 154,500,000 | 18.2% | 5 of 5 |
| Pernod Ricard | 18 | 6.4% | 110,700,000 | 13% | 13 of 13 |
| Lothian Distillers (Diageo / The Edrington Group) | 0 | 0% | 72,000,000 | 8.5% | 1 of 1 |
| Emperador Inc | 15 | 5.3% | 54,200,000 | 6.4% | 5 of 5 |
| The Edrington Group | 17 | 6% | 23,100,000 | 2.7% | 3 of 3 |
| Suntory (Beam Suntory) | 16 | 5.7% | 13,450,000 | 1.6% | 5 of 5 |
| International Beverage (ThaiBev) | 13 | 4.6% | 12,900,000 | 1.5% | 5 of 5 |
| Moet Hennessy (LVMH) | 27 | 9.6% | 9,500,000 | 1.1% | 2 of 2 |
| Distell (CVH Spirits) | 19 | 6.8% | 8,050,000 | 0.9% | 3 of 3 |
| Other groups (19) | 60 | 21.4% | 126,180,000 | 14.8% | 36 of 36 |
| Independent and family owners | 34 | 12.1% | 30,681,000 | 3.6% | 44 of 49 |
Open a group to see its distilleries, sized by capacity, and its closed sites. Switch views to trace blends to their distilleries, or set shelves against capacity.
- Moet Hennessy (LVMH) has 1.1% of stated capacity but 9.6% of the Scotch bottles we price.
- Independent and family distilleries: 4% of capacity, 12% of bottles.
- The Famous Grouse is Edrington’s, but its spiritual home, Glenturret, belongs to Lalique Group/Hansjorg Wyss.
Source: Uisge Beatha owner pages (distillery records, ownership spans and corporate events). Updated 23 October 2026. Free to reuse with a link to this page.
About this data: method, downloads and sources
How we did it
Owners come from our distillery records, which also feed Whiskipedia. Each distillery has an owning company and the parent group that company belongs to (John Dewar & Sons is Bacardi, for example). We take the owner as recorded on the snapshot date shown, and change one only when the record has been re-verified. Spelling variants of one company are merged. A distillery is “independent” when its owner is a family, founder or private company with no separate parent, or owns only that distillery.
The tree shows operating Scotch distilleries (active or temporarily closed). Circle area is in proportion to stated annual capacity in litres of pure alcohol, on one scale for the whole page, with a small minimum size so the smallest sites stay visible. Closed sites appear under the group that last owned them or under its successor, following the corporate history in our records (DCL into Diageo, for example).
Brands link to a distillery only where our distillery records say so in plain words (“spiritual home of”, “a key malt for”, “built to supply”); each quote is checked against the record when the page is built, and the table shows it. Blend recipes change and are rarely published, so a missing link means we have no record, not that there is no connection. The owner shown is the distillery’s owner, which is not always the brand’s owner.
Share of UK shelves counts each in-stock Scotch bottle in our catalogue once, under the distillery that made it, including independent bottlings. Bottles with no single distillery (most blends and blended malts) and bottles from closed distilleries are left out. Shares of capacity cover only distilleries with a stated figure. Both are shares of what we can count, not of the market, and stated capacity is not what was made.
This is a guide to who makes what, not buying advice.
Download the data
Free to reuse with a link to this page.
Sources
- Uisge Beatha owner pages (distillery records, ownership spans and corporate events)
- Distilleries ranked by stated capacity
- The Drinks Business, 'Heineken completes Distell and Namibia Breweries acquisition', 27 April 2023
- David Buxton, The Famous Grouse (2012), cited in our brand records for The Famous Grouse
- Mark Littler, 'Scotch Whisky Distilleries: Who Owns What?', 5 May 2026
Prices are the shelf prices we recorded at UK retailers on the dates shown and change daily. Uisge Beatha compares prices; it does not sell whisky or give investment advice. Please enjoy whisky responsibly: drinkaware.co.uk.