Glenturret claims to be Scotland's oldest distillery, with origins tracing back to an illegal farm distillery in The Hosh area as early as 1775. The first license was granted to John Drummond in 1818, who operated until bankruptcy in 1842. John McCallum succeeded him (1852-1874) but suffered the same fate. Thomas Stewart then took over, renaming the distillery from 'Hosh' to 'Glenturret' in 1875 (note: another Glenturret distillery existed nearby but closed in the 1850s). In 1903, the distillery was sold to Mitchell Brothers Ltd. Production ceased in 1921, and in 1929, Mitchell Brothers entered liquidation and the distillery was dismantled. Glenturret's revival is credited to James Fairlie, who purchased the site in 1957 and restored operations between 1959-1960—primarily using second-hand equipment—merging old and new buildings. His vision was 'to preserve the traditional crafts so important to the heritage and development of Scotch whisky.' He opened the distillery to the public, establishing tour routes and tasting programs. While Glenfiddich is recognized as the first distillery to do so in 1969, Glenturret was certainly the second to follow. In 1964, UK Prime Minister Sir Alec Douglas-Home visited the distillery. In 1981, James Fairlie sold Glenturret to Rémy Cointreau, which significantly expanded the visitor facilities. At that time, Rémy Cointreau established a trade relationship with Highland Distillers. In 1993, Glenturret joined Highland Distillers (now part of the Edrington Group). In 2002, the Edrington Group invested £2.2 million to further upgrade visitor facilities, now branded as 'The Famous Grouse Experience,' despite the distillery having no previous connection to The Famous Grouse whisky.

Glenturret's region may have been involved in illegal distillation well before 1775. Parish records dating back to 1717 show the area once possessed a large number of stills, perhaps because this region spanning two mountains provided excellent vantage points for spotting enemies and excise officers. In the 1880s, whisky chronicler Alfred Barnard found Glenturret somewhat backward, yet it remains true to itself to this day. The Famous Grouse Experience welcomed 90,000 visitors in 2013, reportedly making it 'the most visited distillery' that year—a position it has maintained since. Its proximity to the popular town of Crieff has been key. As early as 1965, Glenturret was first bottled as a single malt, though only for local sale. In December 2018, the distillery was acquired by Swiss company Art & Terroir SA, which also owns Lalique crystal.