Knockando distillery is located in the village of the same name in Moray. It was founded in 1898 but it closed down shortly after in 1899. This was a common theme in the final years of the 19th century. This distillery was completed on the same year that the Pattison crisis erupted bringing the whisky industry to its knees.
The distillery remained closed until 1903 when it was acquired by a London-based company involved in the distillation of gin. That company ran the distillery in an efficient manner. The parent company merged with United Wine Traders, a conglomerate of companies that included Justerini and Brooks, in 1962. Under this merged company, Knockando distillery modernised its operations and expanded its production capacity. The distillery released an official 12 year old bottling in the late 1960's and more age statements followed.
Knockando has warehouses where whisky intended to be bottled as a single malt is stored. The whisky intended for blends is stored elsewhere. A huge volume of the distillery's output ends up in the J&B blend.
The style of whisky produced by this distillery is light, delicate and nutty.When Knockando was built (1890's) it was common among distilleries built around the same time, to produce a light, delicate and nutty spirit. A quick fermentation, quick distillation and rapid mashing produced this style. The distillery has not changed its style.