No less than a hundred malt whiskey distilleries saw the light in the green valleys of Speyside. Much of it, like Glen Elgin, built in the boom just before 1900.
But while the chimneys were higher, there was already thundering in the glass in the whiskey industry. The designer of Glen Elgin, renowned architect Charles Doig of Elgin, already predicted that this would be the last distillery in 50 years, which was built in Speyside. And even that was on the modest side, because it took another 60 years before Tormore became the next.
Glen Elgin was saved the best until last, anyway. There is also little changed over the past hundred years. In the years 1930 Glen Elgin part of Scottish Malt Distillers, for whom it was an important component of the well-known White Horse blend.
The first fifty years, there was hardly any of renewal, although one change was essential: the location was also chosen because of the ability to make use of the large water supply from the Glen Burn, in order to drive the turbine which supplied electricity for the machines . For that reason it was unnecessary electricity through the national grid until 1950.
In the early sixties of the 20th century came the much needed investment and were added to the two existing boilers four. Glen Elgin ™ became available as a single malt and from 1977 began with the export of a 12 year old whiskey, mainly to Italy and Japan.