SCOTLAND’S first vertical distillery is set to be constructed in the Port of Leith at a site near the Royal Yacht Britannia.
Developers Muckle Brig Ltd have lodged a planning application with the City of Edinburgh Council for the £5 million development. The application centres on a 40 metre “tower” distillery that will sit adjacent to the Ocean Terminal shopping centre and give Leith another visitor attraction as well as producing what the developers are claiming will be “outstanding Scotch whisky.”
In their publicity for the project, Muckle Brig state: “Our design brief was ambitious. We aim to eventually produce 400,000lpa [litres pure alcohol] per year as well as welcoming tens of thousands of visitors through the door with a shop and bar.
“In addition to this, we have included a lab space for analysis and experimentation with students from Heriot Watt, offices and facilities for our staff, and a number of flexible spaces that can be used for exhibitions and public events.
“At the core of the building will be a vertical production process, with grain milling and mashing at the top, leading down through fermentation to distillation at the bottom. Around that, we’re creating a unique experience for our visitors, allowing them to get as close to the process as possible.
“All of this will be encased in a beautiful, bold and modern building sitting on Leith’s waterfront – a beacon for cruise ships entering the port and an iconic new structure for Edinburgh.”
Leith was once a centre for whisky production, blending, bottling and maturation. Muckle Brig say they will resurrect that industry once again and put the Port of Leith back on the whisky map.
If the designs for construction are approved by Edinburgh City Council, construction work could begin early next year with the distillery opening in the spring of 2019.
Ian Stirling, co-founder of Muckle Brig along with Patrick Fletcher, said: “We have set out to create a new whisky business with innovation, education and openness placed at the forefront of our operations. The design brief for the building was expressly aimed at encompassing these values by creating an exciting and modern face for the Scotch whisky industry.”
A spokesperson for the Scotch Whisky Association said: “We’re delighted by what is an encouraging trend of new Scotch whisky distilleries being opened and planned, supporting jobs and investment.”
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