New Scottish Distilleries To Watch In 2018

By Richard Thomas

Recent years have seen each and every year billed as a “record setter” for new distilleries set to open in Scotland, and 2018 will be no exception. Investment in Scotch distilling has reached a level not seen since the original whisky boom of the late 19th Century. A slate of ten new distilleries either have opened or will open during the course of this year.

However, the first operational still run of a sparkling new Scots distillery isn’t the only thing to watch anymore. New distilleries means new brands of whisky. The minimum age required for Scotch Whisky is three years, and while not every Scottish distillery will release a their young single malts at the earliest opportunity, some will. Successive waves of new distillery openings in Scotland combined with the requirement to sit and wait for at least a few years means one should look back over one’s shoulder and keep an eye on what new stuff might be headed for bottling, as well as looking forward to what the new construction might bring.

So much new stuff is going on in Scotland this year, in fact, that if you take who is going operations, who is passing the three year threshold and who might release a brand new whisky altogether, it’s the stuff of a small booklet, not an article. Here are the highlights:

Ardnahoe: The esteemed independent bottlers Hunter Laing have followed a tried and true path, and it led them to one of the most hallowed locales in Scotch Whisky. The company decided to secure their own supply, as so many bottlers do nowadays, and build their own distillery. Aside from it being Hunter Laing doing this, they also built that distillery on Islay, famed for its smoky, saline whiskies. This year, Ardnahoe is set to become the ninth of Islay’s distilleries.

Borders: The first distillery to operate in the Scots Borders in 180 years was slated to open in late 2017, and that opening was postponed to January 2018. We were unable to get in touch with Borders regarding if they are operational, and if so are they producting whisky yet, but there have been no news announcements to that effect.

Crabbie’s Distillery: When this plant goes operational this year, it will be Edinburgh’s first whisky distillery. Or rather, the first in modern times. The name doesn’t refer to the disposition of the owners, but instead is a revival of a late 19th Century Edinburgh distillery and brand.

Douglas Laing: The Glasgow Renaissance has crossed paths with another prominent independent bottler getting into distilling their own spirit, in this instance Douglas Laing. No name has been attached to their £10.7m distillery project as of yet, but it will open this year and become the new company headquarters while it’s at it. When Douglas Laing’s project goes operational, it will become Glasgow’s fourth whisky distillery.

Hollyrood: Crabbie’s won’t be Edinburgh’s sole distillery for long. Later this year, Hollyrood’s will open in a much ballyhooed redevelopment of Edinburgh’s Engine Shed. Whereas Crabbie’s will be a little place, Hollyrood will be a modern, tourist-oriented facility.

Reivers: When you read about new distilleries in Scotland, they are inevitably malt distilleries. Grain whisky, the backbone of most blended whiskies, has attracted far less interest, perhaps because so few of the new entrants have any intention of entering the blended whisky game themselves. Reivers will therefore be the first new grain whisky plant to open in Scotland since 2010.

As for new whiskies in the bottle, the very first production run from Kingsbarns, owned by the folks behind Wemyss Malts, was laid down in March 2015. It has only just recently crossed the three year mark. Although no formal announcement has arrived regarding release intentions, given that Kingsbarns has released under-aged, not-legally-whisky samples of their younger spirit, it’s a good bet that a youthful Kingsbarns single malt will be coming shortly.