The Scottish whisky industry is huge. The exports of Scottish whisky from the UK generated £3.95 billion for the country’s balance of trade in 2015, with exports earning £125 every second. There are roughly 100 distilleries throughout Scotland, too, meaning there is plenty of competition – but that isn’t putting off new entrepreneurs who have put down their Glencairn glass and started their very own operations!
4 New Whisky Distilleries to Raise a Glass To
These aren’t the only new brands in the game, but they’re each worth checking out.
1. Ballindalloch Distillery
The Ballindalloch Distillery launched as Scotland’s first-ever, single-estate whisky distillery. The operation began at the end of 2014, and its launch was attended by the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince of Wales. The distillery is located in a historic estate, also called Ballindalloch, and it uses barley water sources from its own plots of land. The only ingredient used in the process that has been outsourced is yeast, with everything else coming from the region and estate.
Ballindaloch isn’t attempting to keep up with the trend of producing vodka and gin, either – it is sticking solely to producing Scotch, and its first batch is expected to be released between 2023 and 2025.
2. The Glasgow Distillery Company
The Glasgow Distillery Company opened in March 2015, complete with its own visitors’ center that gives you the chance to see how the whole distillery process works. Upon launch, the distillery managed to quickly begin the production of its very own Malt Scotch, and it also began selling a 26-year-old single malt in January 2015.
3. The Macallan Distillery
The Macallan Distillery is a £100 million distillery that opened with much fanfare. Moray Council approved the build in 2014, and construction began in December 2015. The distillery is expected to launch in Spring 2017, and owing to the huge investment put into the operation, it is expected to “significantly increase capacity” over the previous Macallan distillery, which is expected to close down in favor of the new Speyside site.
4. Isle of Harris Distillers
The Isle of Harris is a small island on the west of Scotland, and in summer 2015, its very own distillery launched. Before the launch, the operation managed to obtain funds to set up its own maturation warehouse that had the capacity for up to 4,000 casks.
In April 2017, the small distillery received recognition from the Scottish Civic Trust, after it was given an award by the organization for its good local design, and the positive impact the new business had on the island and local community.
Looking for Great Whisky Accessories and Gifts?
The news about the expansion of Scotch whisky distilleries will get any whisky lover excited, so why not treat yourself? Whether you’re looking for personalized groomsmen gifts, or you want to treat yourself to some of SipDark’s famous drink stones, you’ll find everything you need at our online store.