History of The Dalmore

The story begins with a regal legacy dating back to 1263, when Colin of Kintail, the first chieftain of Clan Mackenzie saved the King of Scotland, Alexander III, from the fury of a charging stag while on a hunt. The famous painting by Benjamin West, which depicts the incident titled “Alexander III, the King of Scotland, saved from the fury of a charging stag by the intrepidity of Colin of Kintail,” resides in the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh.  

Every bottle of The Dalmore is adorned with our royal stag emblem, representing our origin story. King Alexander III granted Colin and his descendants three rewards for his heroism: land stretching across Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland, the Latin motto: Luceo Non Uro, which means, “I Shine, Not Burn”; and the right to display the 12-point royal stag on their family crest.  

In 1839 the Dalmore distillery was founded by Sir Alexander Matheson on the banks of the Cromarty Firth in Alness, north of Inverness. A merchant adventurer and entrepreneur who made his fortune in commerce while travelling the world, Matheson enjoyed the finer things in life and sought to create an exceptional single malt whisky of his own.

Matheson had exceptional skills through his colourful career as a Member of Parliament, head of Northern Railways, and chairman of the Bank of England, but a whisky maker he was not. Unable to master the art and science of distillation, he leased out the distillery over the next 30 years to various tenants in the hopes one would meet his grand expectations. 

Descendants of Clan Mackenzie - Andrew and Charles, hailed as the Pioneers of the Dalmore, took over operation of the distillery in 1867, eventually buying the distillery outright for £14,500 from Matheson’s son in 1891. One of their first acts was to adorn every bottle with the 12-pointed stag emblem as a guarantee of quality.  

Local farmers, the brothers had a reputation for making fine whisky in the winter, and with the Dalmore distillery in their hands they introduced new production techniques and patience to refine the art of longer and more complex maturations that define the Dalmore today. 

They were adventurous in spirit, utilising Matheson's contacts to export beyond Scotland as far as Australia and New Zealand by the 1870s : the first malt whisky brand to do so. In 1891 they released an unheard of 23 Year single malt at a time when most whiskies were practically consumed fresh off the stills.

Andrew and Charles not only valued the patience of leaving whisky to age for extended periods, but also of the significance of the cask itself. Throughout their leadership of the distillery, they established key partnerships with the finest wine, sherry, and port producers in Europe, securing the best casks for their whisky – partnerships that continue to this day.  

The First World War brought a challenging period for The Dalmore, with the distillery requisitioned as a mine factory by the British Royal Navy. Naval operations were detrimental to the distillery which suffered extensive damage due to a mine explosion and subsequent fire in 1920, with legal battles over the destruction lasting over half a decade. The distillery returned to the Mackenzie family’s hands in 1921, and they were able to resume distillation.  

Throughout this turbulent period William Mackenzie ensured the relationships formed by his father Andrew and uncle Charles with the world’s greatest bodegas and wineries continued to thrive, continuing the Dalmore’s pioneering approach to maturation. 

In the aftermath of prohibition and the Second World War William was succeeded by his son Hector “Hac” Mackenzie in 1946. Considered the Moderniser of the Dalmore, Hac excelled as a whisky maker with drive and vision: he doubled the number of stills from four to eight, allowing production capacity to grow. 

He championed modern methods but maintained the distinguishing characteristics the Dalmore is known for with long complex maturations devised by the generations that came before him. 

The distillery remained within Mackenzie family hands until 1960, when Whyte & Mackay, a major customer, acquired The Dalmore.  

In 1970 Richard Paterson, a young third generation whisky maker, first visited the Dalmore. Richard went on to become Master Distiller of the Dalmore in 1975 at just 26 years old, and spent 16 years working closely with Hac Mackenzie, developing an intimate knowledge of the family’s 100-years of expertise.

Richard's passion and skill earned him the nickname The Nose in whisky circles, and for 50 years he was the custodian of The Dalmore, developing and protecting all the innovation that came before him.