The Cairn Distillery
About the distillery
The Cairn Distillery is located in Cairngorms National Park near Grantown-on-Spey, and is a modern whisky distillery with strong family roots. It is owned by Gordon & MacPhail and combines a new, architecturally conscious setting with whiskies that can only be tasted and purchased on site. The focus here is both on the single malt of the future and on the CRN57° series, which offers an early glimpse into the house style.
History
Gordon & MacPhail began as a family business in the 19th century and, over four generations, has grown from shopkeepers to wholesalers, whisky bottlers, and distillery owners. The company is described as independent and locally rooted, and its long experience in maturing and bottling Scottish whisky became the foundation for owning a distillery itself. In 1993, the family took over Benromach Distillery—an important step on the way to realizing an old ambition. The Cairn is the newest chapter: a modern distillery designed as the natural next step for a family that sees whisky as a craft built on experience, patience, and forward momentum.
Raw materials and production
The Cairn works with Scottish malted barley and fresh water from the surrounding area, and has placed the distillery in the heart of the landscape in Cairngorms National Park. The building is designed to both take the surroundings into account and support production: the roof is covered with turf, and reforestation projects are underway to encourage native species. The actual distillation is conceived as a progressive facility, where the selection of raw materials, fermentation, the shape of the copper stills, and the casks on which the spirit will mature is intended to bring out flavor and character as effectively as possible. It is a place where the technique is modern, but with clear respect for the classic whisky tradition.
Maturation and cask types
Maturation plays a clear role in the story of The Cairn. The distillery mentions sherry-cask-matured expressions among the whiskies that can already be tasted on site, and the entire CRN57° series has been created as a reflection of the style and character that the future The Cairn whisky is expected to have. The series ranges from younger blended malts to very old expressions, and the older releases especially highlight sweet caramel, oak, leather, roasted coffee, and dried tobacco. For the whisky enthusiast, it points to a deliberate use of age and cask influence to build complexity over time.
Whiskies
The range is divided between the CRN57° series of blended malt Scotch whiskies and the distillery’s own single malt line. CRN57° serves as a kind of prelude to the spirit that will later come from the distillery itself, and ranges from 12 to 70 years in the presented releases. In addition, there is the Step series, which consists of annual limited editions, as well as First Peek, the distillery’s first single malt in three years. Together, the selection gives a picture of a house that works with maturity, plays with age, and offers a first, more direct presentation of its own distillate.
| Whisky | Type / series | Alcohol | Age | Flavor profile | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRN57° 12YO | Blended Malt Scotch Whisky | 12YO | Delivers a sweet palate with hints of pepper and oak, and fruit, spice and subtle candied undertones on the nose.; Nose: Fruit, spice and subtle candied undertones; sweet palate with hints of pepper and oak; Taste: Sweet palate with hints of pepper and oak | Current; Core range; Available only to taste and buy at The Cairn Distillery | |
| CRN57° 18YO | Blended Malt Scotch Whisky | 18YO | Premium-age blended malt with stewed fruit on the nose and a smooth palate showing roasted coffee bean, dried tobacco and cracked black pepper.; Nose: Stewed fruit scents with hints of sweet caramel, aged oak and aged leather; Taste: Smooth palate with roasted coffee bean, dried tobacco and cracked black pepper | Current; Core range; Available only to taste and buy at The Cairn Distillery | |
| CRN57° 25YO | Blended Malt Scotch Whisky | 25YO | Premium-age blended malt in the CRN57° range.; Nose: Stewed fruit scents with hints of sweet caramel, aged oak and aged leather; Taste: Smooth palate with roasted coffee bean, dried tobacco and cracked black pepper | Current; Core range; Available only to taste and buy at The Cairn Distillery | |
| CRN57° 30YO | Blended Malt Scotch Whisky | 30YO | Top of the CRN57° core range.; Nose: Stewed fruit scents with hints of sweet caramel, aged oak and aged leather; Taste: Smooth palate with roasted coffee bean, dried tobacco and cracked black pepper | Current; Core range; Available only to taste and buy at The Cairn Distillery | |
| CRN57° 40YO | Blended Malt Scotch Whisky | 40YO | A newer addition to the CRN57° core range.; Nose: Stewed fruit scents with hints of sweet caramel, aged oak and aged leather; Taste: Smooth palate with roasted coffee bean, dried tobacco and cracked black pepper | Current; Core range; Available only to taste and buy at The Cairn Distillery | |
| CRN57° '57' | Blended Malt Scotch Whisky | 57YO | A very old blended malt in the CRN57° range with spicy, citrus-led character.; Nose: Zesty orange, butterscotch and vibrant citrus; cracked black pepper, roasted coffee bean and dried tobacco; Taste: Cracked black pepper, roasted coffee bean and dried tobacco | Current; Core range; Available only to taste and buy at The Cairn Distillery | |
| CRN57° 70YO | Blended Malt Scotch Whisky | 70YO | The range’s most venerable expression, presented in a decanter and available only at the distillery. | Current; Core range; Available only to taste and buy at The Cairn Distillery | |
| CRN57° Step One | Blended Malt Scotch Whisky | 43 % | 12 years | First release in the annual CRN57° Step range.; Nose: Treacle toffee and pineapple; Taste: Long-lasting milk chocolate | Current; Annual limited edition available at the distillery |
| CRN57° Step Two | Blended Malt Scotch Whisky | 43 % | 14 years | Second annual release in the CRN57° Step range.; Nose: Citrus and berries, sweet smoke and a faint floral edge | Current; Annual limited edition available at the distillery |
| CRN57° Step Three | Blended Malt Scotch Whisky | Third annual release in the CRN57° Step range. | Current; Annual limited edition available at the distillery | ||
| CRN57° Step Four | Blended Malt Scotch Whisky | Fourth annual release in the CRN57° Step range, launched in May 2026. | Current; Annual limited edition available at the distillery | ||
| The Cairn First Peek 3YO | Single Malt Scotch Whisky | 3YO | The Cairn’s first ever single malt, bottled as a three-year-old limited edition snapshot of how the whisky is developing.; Nose: Rich sultana and vanilla aromas; Taste: Chocolate and cranberry flavours; Finish: Mint and lime finish | Current; Limited edition available at the distillery |
Whisky styles and flavor profile
The style moves from fruit, spice, and discreet candied notes in the younger CRN57° releases to stewed fruit, sweet caramel, and older oak in the more mature expressions. In the most developed whiskies, leather, roasted coffee, dried tobacco, and cracked black pepper also come through, while the Step series adds citrus, berries, sweet smoke, and a faint floral edge. First Peek adds another nuance on top with sultana raisins, vanilla, chocolate, cranberry, mint, and lime.
Visiting the distillery
The Cairn can be visited, and distillery tours and whisky tastings are offered. The distillery is open Tuesday to Saturday from 09:00 to 16:30, and booking is part of the visiting experience. You can get there by car, by taxi from Aviemore, by bike, or by train to Aviemore station and from there on to the distillery. This makes the place a concrete day-trip destination for whisky travelers in Cairngorms.
The listed opening hours are 09:00 - 16:30, Tuesday-Saturday.
See times and book a visit.
Philosophy and craft
The Cairn builds its identity on being an independent family home with local roots and on looking forward without losing connection to the past. The distillery highlights a progressive approach, where the production is designed to maximize flavor and character while the building and its surroundings should respect the nature around it. This combination of heritage, community, and technical precision is central to the place’s own understanding of itself.
Sustainability
Turf roof.
Reforestation projects around the site to encourage native species.