Kininvie
Full Speyside food & drink guide — distilleries, restaurants, where to stay, when to go.
William Grant's third Dufftown distillery, built in 1990 alongside Glenfiddich and Balvenie to supply Monkey Shoulder and Grant's blends. Single malt releases are extremely rare and usually travel-retail only — Kininvie is the quiet sibling that most visitors never know exists.
Kininvie is one of Dufftown's seven distilleries — opened 1990 on the Balvenie/Glenfiddich campus by William Grant & Sons specifically to produce blending spirit. It rarely appears as a standalone single malt. The few official bottlings (Hazelwood Reserve, released as Kininvie Works) reveal a light, floral, Speyside character consistent with its blending role.
Core range
Hazelwood 23 (discontinued — collector)
42.5% ABV · Bourbon casks
There is no current official Kininvie bottling. The Hazelwood 23 ran to three batches (2013–15) and has been gone since 2015; the 2019 Kininvie Works one-offs also sold through. What remains is collector territory — almost all Kininvie spirit disappears into Monkey Shoulder and Grant's blends.
Food pairings
| Whisky | Food | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Kininvie Works | Light shortbread | The clean, light character suits simple Scottish baking. |
Getting there
Car. The Balvenie/Glenfiddich campus, Dufftown.
Where to eat nearby
- The Taste of SpeysideRestaurant
Dufftown town centre.
Where to stay near Kininvie
Kininvie is a compact production distillery on the Glenfiddich/Balvenie estate, without a separate visitor experience. Dufftown is the base for this part of the Fiddich valley — the town's B&Bs and guesthouses are within walking distance. If you're touring the William Grant cluster, allocate a full day at Glenfiddich and Balvenie rather than seeking Kininvie access separately.
The Speyside whisky hotel, 20 min.
Hotels, B&Bs, and self-catering within easy reach of Kininvie.
Booking links are affiliate links — we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Location
Dufftown, Banffshire, AB55 4DH
View on map →Frequently asked questions
+Is Kininvie part of the Glenfiddich tour?
No — it's a separate distillery on the same campus but not part of the standard visitor tour. Some specialist tours include it.
+Where is Kininvie distillery?
Kininvie is in Speyside. Postcode AB55.
+When was Kininvie distillery founded?
Kininvie was founded in 1990, making it roughly 36 years old.
Compare with similar distilleries
Spirit character close to lighter Balvenie expressions — unsurprisingly, given the shared campus.
Other distilleries owned by William Grant & Sons
Distilleries that share Kininvie's corporate parent — useful context if you're comparing house styles within an owner's stable.
Glenfiddich
The world’s best-selling single malt, Glenfiddich is where most people’s Scotch journey begins. Founded by William Grant and still family-owned, it remains one of the few distilleries to bottle its own spirit on-site.
The Balvenie
Sister distillery to Glenfiddich and one of very few still maintaining its own floor maltings. Known for honeyed, slightly waxy, sherry-influenced spirit.
Ailsa Bay
An unusual beast — a heavily peated single malt produced inside William Grant's massive Girvan grain distillery complex. Not what anyone expects from a Lowland. The brand is dormant — the last release was 1.2 in 2019 and only remaining stock circulates; the site itself is closed to visitors.
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