For those fancy a wee dram, and a wee investment, there’s a rare chance to invest in a brand new single malt whisky and spirits distillery.
The plans by Holyrood Distillery will see malt distilling brought back to Edinburgh for the first time in 90 years. Its launched a £5.5m funding drive to pay for a distillery and pioneering visitor centre, spanning 11,969 sq ft, in the heart of Scotland’s capital.
The development follows the City of Edinburgh Council’s decision last year to approve development of the historic Engine Shed building and site on St Leonard’s Lane into a distillery, and visitor centre.
The fundraising is being led by the Johnston Carmichael partnership and will be used to renovate the 180-year old City-owned building, purchase and install equipment. It will also create the visitor experience, and provide working capital to cover the early costs of start-up and production.
The project is a joint development by David Robertson (pictured above), former Master Distiller for The Macallan, and Rob and Kelly Carpenter, founders of the Canadian branch of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Holyrood Distillery will be Edinburgh’s first single malt whisky distillery since Glen Sciennes closed in the 1920s.
The plan is that the distilling of Holyrood whisky will begin in late 2018, with bottles hitting the shelves as early as 2021.
Holyrood Distillery Managing Director Rob Carpenter said: “We feel truly fortunate to have the opportunity to be part of bringing single malt distilling back to Edinburgh after far too long an absence. Kelly, David and I all love our spirits and we’re incredibly enthusiastic about making flavour-filled single malts, gins and other cool tipples as well as creating an experience which allows our visitors to truly immerse themselves in the world of Holyrood.
“We are confident that by placing a working distillery in the heart of Edinburgh’s capital, with the visitor numbers and cash flow that is expected to provide, we are creating something that is quite different from the typical distillery start-up.”
