Braeval, originally founded as Braes of Glenlivet in 1973, stands as Scotland's highest-altitude distillery. Built by Seagram's to produce base spirit for Chivas Regal, it was renamed Braeval in 1994. Like its sister distillery Allt-a-Bhainne, it combines uncompromising modernization with traditional elements such as pagoda roofs. The distillery operates with a high degree of automation—capable of being run by a single person—and houses six stills, each featuring a unique bulge at the neck known as a 'Milton Ball.' Initially equipped with three stills, two were added in 1975 and another in 1978. Braeval has no on-site warehouses; all spirit is transported by tanker to Keith Bond for casking before maturation elsewhere. Historically, spent wash was sent to Glenlivet for conversion into distillers' syrup, while draff was sold to local merchants. Following Pernod Ricard's acquisition of Seagram's in 2001, the distillery was mothballed in 2002 but reopened in July 2008. Braeval's single malt has never been officially bottled by the distillery, appearing only through occasional independent bottlings.

The distillery's locale is known as Eskemulloch, which literally means 'source' or 'headwater'. It lies one mile north of Scotland's ancient Roman Catholic seminary, one of the few places where priests could be trained after the Reformation. The seminary was established in 1717 by the Duke of Gordon (a Catholic), the owner of the glen, but was destroyed by Hanoverian troops in 1746. The Ladder Hills are Braeval's water source. The 'Whisky Road' passes through here; historically, illicit distillers used this route to transport their goods from Glenlivet to the Lowlands.