The Newest Distilleries In Scotland

A Look At The Most Recently Founded And Opened Scotch Whisky Distilleries

By Richard Thomas

Part of the romance of Scotch Whisky is its plethora of distilleries. Having survived the series of world events that shook the American and Irish whiskey industries to near-rubble, Scotland became the place where enthusiasts could wax about how the thin cut of a pot still produces melon notes in the new make, or how the sea air in the north has a different effect than it does in the west. All of that is down to the fact that Scotland, rather than having a small handful of big plants, enjoyed several dozen mid-sized and (only sometimes) large distilleries.

That said, Scotland is also a place where the number of mothballed distilleries alone has, at times, been a double digit number. If one wanted to get in the Scotch business or expand production, then the answer was to acquire a working distillery or renovate an old one. Thus, it was also a place where breaking ground on a new distillery was a rarity.

Or so it was until lately.

Ardnamurchan
Although Adelphi’s distillery, opened in July 2014, is no longer the newest in Scotland, it is still the most westerly and among the most environmentally friendly. Their main claim to green-ness is in drawing all their energy resources locally, via a wood chip-fired boiler and a local hydro-electric plant. The Ardnamurchan peninsula location, on the banks of Loch Sunart, make this distillery remote even among the ranks of Highland whisky-making. Ardnamurchan’s whisky is now resting in casks and not yet available, but the distillery is open for tours.

Ballindalloch
Situated in the farm buildings of a historic estate, this Speyside distillery is doing things the old fashioned way. They are open and operating since 2014, won’t be releasing any gin or new make, and fully intend to let their whisky age for eight to ten years before releasing their first single malt.

Eden Mill
Brewstilleries are most common in the U.S., but Scotland got its own example when Eden Mill Brewery decided to add a distillery. This was the first, and to date only brewstillery in Britain. They have a series of “one year spirits” out (too young to be legally dubbed “Scotch Whisky” just yet).

Dalmunach
This sleek, ultra-modern £25 million facility opened this year, built by Chivas Brothers, part of French drinks giant Pernod Ricard. The Speyside distillery is equipped with eight copper pots, and is capable of producing 10 million liters of spirit annually. It replaces the old Imperial Distillery, which was formerly located on the same site.

Glasgow Distillery Company (GDC)
The winner in the race to open a new, urban distillery in Glasgow proved to be the GDC, which is following a path well-trodden by small distilleries in the United States. The distillery is operational and making whisky, but while they wait for their whisky to age, they have put out a gin out and are bottling sourced whisky.

Kingsbarns
Kingsbarns is the distillery that took Wemyss Malts from bottler to distiller. Like Ballindalloch, Kingsbarns is set in a renovated cluster of old farm buildings. Unlike Ballindalloch, Wemyss went for a thoroughly modern design approach in their renovation work. This Lowland distillery is open for tours and, as part of an already well-established bottling company, has a variety of blends and single cask, single malt whiskies for sale. In terms of in-house products, Kingsbarns has a white whisky in release.

Isle of Harris
When Abhainn Dearg Distillery opened on the Isle of Lewis, it became both the first distillery in the Outer Hebrides to open in 170 years and a forerunner of modern Scottish distillery foundings. Yet developments have moved fast enough to already make Abhainn Dearg something of an old hat, developments in the form of the new Isle of Harris Distillery. This is the first distillery on its namesake island, and now the second active one in the Outer Hebrides.

They filled their first casks of The Hearach, their projected single malt, only in January 2016. Thus, even the youngest expression therein is still years away.