New Spirit Flowing in 2019
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year or so, you may have heard the news that 9 brand new distilleries are opening all across Scotland! Over 130 operating distilleries are open across the country right now and with these additions coming this year, there's even more future drams to be poured and more choice to choose from since the late 18th century, There are currently around 30 new distilleries in the planning or construction phases, with most opening dates diarised for 2020 and 2021. Until then, let's have a look at the new distilleries set to open within the next 12 months.
Adanahoe, Islay
While this should have opened last year for the Islay Festival, it will open its door in the early springtime to ensure it makes its debut at the festival. With casks being made as soon as possible once the checks on all its equipment work and fine-tune the spirit to ensure the quality is as expected.
Ardross, Averon Valley
30 miles north of Inverness, this distillery is in its advanced stages and set for completion in early 2019. The main distillery will produce single malt whisky, while a gin still and Botanics mixing lab are also being planned for a separate tenement building on-site. The project for Ardross Investments Ltd involves the refurbishment and extension of a dilapidated farm complex on a 50-acre site.
Cabrach
The Cabrach is a unique and beautiful location with the richness of culture, heritage and history. The distillery will be located in one of the birthplaces of the Scotch whisky industry and famed for illicit stills and smuggling. It is hoped distilling will get underway in 2019 and the first bottling of mature whisky will be available in 2024, with 150,000 bottles expected to be produced each year.
Clutha, Glasgow
A new distillery opening up in Glasgow from Douglas Laing & Co. Clutha is the Gaelic word for the River Clyde. The first whisky that will be produced here in the new distillery will also be called Clutha. But it will take some time until this whisky can be released. Clutha Whisky will be a specialist, high-end Single Malt with a heavy Sherry influence through its maturation in ex-Sherry casks. Beautifully crafted without colouring or chill-filtration, Clutha Malt will differ from traditional Lowland styles offering a thick, mouth-coating Whisky that is sure to impress.”
Dornoch, Inverness
A crowdfunding campaign has helped raise the cash needed to purchase a building on an old slater’s yard. Dornoch intends to relocate its operations to the new site by the summer, and begin distilling by the autumn. The Thompson brothers launched their first crowdfunding campaign in March 2016, which financed the conversion of the disused fire station into a distillery.
Falkirk
Without a doubt, the most long-awaited distillery to open this year is Falkirk. A project that’s taken more than 10 years to come into reality. Set to open by the summer, Falkirk distillery will produce up to 750,000 litres of spirit a year. Using a 4.5-tonne mash tun and two of the old stills from Speyside’s Caperdonich distillery, which was demolished in 2011.
Holyrood
Holyrood was one of the distilleries that made last year’s list. The distillery had been down to open by the end of 2018. The transformation of Edinburgh’s old Engine Shed into a visitor-centric whisky distillery finally kicking off last autumn. Holyrood distillery is now expected to open in mid-late 2019.
John Crabbie
Crabbie was a pioneer in Scotch whisky. Being a co-founder and the first chairman of the North British grain distillery and establishing a whisky blending company based in Leith. The new distillery on Graham Street will become home to the newly relaunched Crabbie’s whisky brand when it opens later this year.
Lagg
Lagg distillery on the Isle of Arran will become dedicated to exploring the impact peat has on the flavour of whisky. Expect experimental runs with peat sourced from all across Scotland and the world. The site will also produce its own cider and apple brandy using fruit grown in the estate’s orchards.