The Glenkinchie Distillery is located in farmland at Peaston Bank near Pencaitland, 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Edinburgh. Set in a small valley on the Kinchie Burn, the distillery was established in 1837 by brothers John and George Rate. Disused between 1853 and 1880, it was rebuilt in 1890 and again in the 1920s. 'Kinchie' is possibly a corruption of 'De Quincey', the original owners of the land on which the distillery is built. Following World War II the distillery manager bred prize-winning cattle, feeding them on the spent grain. It now employs 35 people.
Drawing water from the Lammermuir Hills to produce a classic Lowland malt from its two stills, Glenkinchie is the only remaining malt whisky distillery close to Edinburgh, indeed its product is regarded as the Edinburgh whisky.
Glenkinchie is one of 30 distilleries run by Diageo Scotland, an Edinburgh-based subsidiary of the London-based drinks multi-national, which has a turnover of £17.1 billion (2023). Glenkinchie is one of the 'four corner' constituent malts of the world-famous Johnnie Walker blend.
Glenkinchie offers tours of the facility, which provide an insight into the distiller's craft, a museum and exhibition describing the history of malt whisky distilling and a whisky shop. The visitor centre that was reopened in 2020 following a multi-million pound refurbishment as part of Diageo's commitment to whisky tourism and promoting the Johnnie Walker brand. The distillery is linked to the Johnnie Walker Experience in Edinburgh, which opened in 2021.
