The distillery is hidden in the glen and its secluded location may have contributed to its early history as the site of several illicit bothy stills.

[4] When Alfred Barnard visited the distillery he described the glen as "a perfect paradise to artists, who come in great numbers to transfer some of its transcendent beauties to canvas".

[6] The distillery was officially established in 1763,[7] but had previously been under the control of illicit distillers, who sought to avoid paying taxes, since 1717.

[4] This early history has led to claims that Glenturret is the oldest distillery in Scotland, a title contested by other establishments such as Littlemill[1] or Strathisla.

This geology has resulted in the extreme softness of the water of Loch Turret making it a suitable source for the whisky.

The green malt is then dried in a kiln over peat smoke, before being milled into grist, which is then mixed with hot water in the mash tun at about 70 °C for an hour.

The sugary wort is collected, cooled and then fermented in large pine vessels called wash backs.

The wash is heated in the pot still so the alcohol vapour rises up and cools and condenses in the low wines receiver.

[4] Philip Hills has described Glenturret with the words:- "Its nose has the floweriness which is characteristic of such [bourbon cask]; it opens up with water and yields scents of elderflower and liebfraumilch.

"[17] Towser, a female long-haired tortoiseshell cat, the resident feline pest control expert at Glenturret from 1963 till 1987,[18] was an officially recognised record breaker.

Her record-breaking victim count was estimated as 28,899[19] mice, which were laid out on the Still House floor each morning to be inspected by the stillman.

The auditors for the Guinness Book of Records observed Towser's prowess over a number of days, and her total kill count was estimated statistically.

She was commemorated by a bronze statue at the visitor's centre at Glenturret and her story was featured on BBC Television's Blue Peter.

[26] There are many tales of the deviousness of the whisky smuggler in outwitting the gaugers (an itinerant exciseman who measured containers and their content),[27] and the excisemen.

[29] Illicit distilling has died out from lack of profitability, but rumours still persist in remote places of homemade moonshine like "Melvaig Mist" and in Shropshire.