Scotland, Highlands. Distillery operational. Owner: Diageo.

Founded in 1838, the Ord distillery joined the James Watson & Son blending company in 1887, before being bought by Thomas Dewars & Sons Ltd in 1925 and the Distillers Company Ltd in 1930. Despite its close link with these blending companies, who absorbed almost all of its malt (Johnnie Walker, Dewars, Watson's), Ord set out to release its single malt, which, over several decades and owners, has appeared under various names, including Ord, Ordie, Glen Ordie and Glen Ord. Since the mid-90s and under the impetus of United Distillers, Ord has been included in various ranges, including The Rare Malts Selection, Malting's 25th Anniversary and Manager's Choice. In 2002, it was chosen to join the Hidden Malts range alongside Clynelish, Caol Ila and Glen Elgin, but it was slow to be discovered by enthusiasts and collectors. Finally, in 2004, it opened its vaults and released its oldest barrels in the Diageo Special Release and The Singleton ranges.

A Glen Ord 12 year old from the 1990s. The 12 year old is nothing new for this distillery, which released its first version in the 1970s. It evolved in 2002 with its introduction into the Hidden Malts range from Diageo and a new square bottle shape. Glen Ord is now part of the Singleton range launched in 2006, followed by Dufftown and Glendullan a year later.