Master Craftsmen

Employing just over 30 people, of whom roughly half are employed in production, Glenfarclas is a relatively small company. The distillery runs twenty four hours a day with three Mash Men and three Still Men, overseen by the Distillery Manager and Assistant Manager. The Mash Men are in charge of the milling, mashing and fermentation, thus taking the three essential ingredients of spring water, malted barley and yeast to produce wash. Under the watchful eyes of the Still men the Wash is distilled twice to create New Spirit. Whilst the production process at Glenfarclas is not a secret, we have always welcomed visitors, it takes many years of experience to learn the nuances of the craft, to produce New Spirit in the consistent style and exceptional quality that we strive for.

Filling and Maturation is the responsibility of the Warehouse Men, who look after 52000 casks maturing in our traditional dunnage style warehouses. Within the warehouses the casks are moved entirely by hand, and as the sherry casks can weigh up to half a tonne, working in the warehouses is physically demanding.

Many of our employees have long service records. Currently four members of our staff have served more than 25 years each.

Shane Fraser, Distillery Manager
In charge of production is Shane Fraser, our Distillery Manager. Originally from Royal Deeside, Shane has seventeen years experience in all aspects of distilling, having previously worked at distilleries on Deeside and the West Coast. One of Shane’s more important tasks is to monitor the progress of the casks as they mature in the dunnage warehouses, to identify which casks to select for the different expressions of Glenfarclas. Shane first visited Glenfarclas shortly after leaving school, impressed by the visit it was a dream come true when he was appointed Distillery Manager in January 2007.