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 23 year old distilled in 1973 and bottled at cask strength in 1997 for the Rare Malts series. Created in the mid-1990s by United Distillers (Diageo), the Rare Malts series features bottlings from many of the group’’s distilleries, including some of the lesser known whose production was generally used for blends, as well as closed distilleries such as Port Ellen and Brora. Bottled at cask strength, the whiskies in the range are also known for their sometimes astounding alcohol content, often exceeding 60% ABV. The Rare Malts range was discontinued in 2005.