HOLYROOD DISTILLERY COMPLETES £5.8M FUNDING DRIVE

The team behind Edinburgh’s first single malt whisky distillery for 90 years, have announced that they have has successfully completed a £5.8m funding drive, to help fund the creation of the Holyrood Distillery.

The successful fundraising marks a pivotal milestone in the distillery’s development, following the City of Edinburgh Council’s decision in 2017 to approve development of the historic Engine Shed building and site on St Leonard’s Lane into a distillery and visitor centre.


Holyrood Distillery completes £5.8m funding drive

The funds will be used to renovate the 180-year old City-owned building, purchase and install equipment, create the visitor experience and provide working capital to cover the early costs of start-up and production, ultimately creating 35 new jobs in the capital.

A joint development by David Robertson, 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.

Under the guidance of Head Distiller, Jack Mayo, the distillery will produce a range of single malts, gins, liqueurs and other spirits. Holyrood’s progressive approach to playing with flavours, ingredients, distilling processes and maturation will set it apart. This ‘flavour first’ focus will be brought to life in a matter of months with prototype gins and liqueurs being made available for testing.

Commenting on the news, Rob Carpenter, Co-Founder of the Holyrood Distillery said: “With a lot of hard work and effort by the whole team, and working with the supportive and highly professional team at Scottish Investment Bank, we have reached our fundraising target, allowing us to bring the distillery to life. We can now move on to the fun part - building our new distillery and visitor centre and making delicious spirits. We want our customers to be our guides, helping us shape and build the spirits and flavours that they most enjoy. It’s a new collaborative approach to spirit production that we are all truly excited about and one which we believe offers something quite different from other distilleries.”

Construction on the new distillery and visitors centre, which will span 11,969 sq ft in size, will begin next month, with the aim of opening its doors to the public in spring 2019.

Posted by Steve Rush

DIAGEO ANNOUNCES THE BIGGEST EVER SINGLE INVESTMENT IN SCOTCH WHISKY TOURISM

Diageo, has today announced the biggest ever single investment in Scotch whisky tourism.

Over the next three years, the £150 million investment, will be used to transform Diageo’s Scotch whisky visitor experiences, in the biggest concerted programme ever seen in Scotland’s whisky tourism sector.

Artists impression of the new Johnnie Walker visitor experience in Edinburgh

The centre-piece of the investment will be a new state-of-the-art Johnnie Walker immersive visitor experience based in Edinburgh, bringing to life the story of the world’s most popular Scotch whisky and creating a unique welcome for millions of Scotch fans around the world.

Whisky from Diageo’s distilleries all over Scotland contribute to Johnnie Walker, but its Glenkinchie, Cardhu, Caol Ila and Clynelish distillery’s, will be linked directly to the Johnnie Walker venue in Edinburgh, representing the ‘four corners of Scotland’ and the regional flavour variations of the Lowlands, Speyside, Islands and Highlands, which are crucial to the art of whisky blending.

The company will also upgrade its existing network of 12 distillery visitor centres, to create a new generation of Scotch attractions where people can meet the craftsmen and craftswomen who make the world’s greatest distilled spirit and putting Scotland at the cutting edge of the global boom in food and drink tourism.

Diageo’s Lagavulin, Talisker, Glen Ord, Oban, Dalwhinnie, Blair Athol, Cragganmore and Royal Lochnagar distilleries, will also see investment to support the growth of single malt Scotch whisky. This is in addition to the £35 million already committed to re-open the ‘lost distilleries’ of Port Ellen and Brora, taking Diageo’s network of distilleries with specialist visitor experiences in Scotland to 14.

Commenting on the news, Ivan Menezes, Diageo’s Chief Executive, said: “Scotch is at the heart of Diageo, and this new investment reinforces our ongoing commitment to growing our Scotch whisky brands and supporting Scotland’s tourism industry. For decades to come our distilleries will play a big role in attracting more international visitors to Scotland. I am also delighted we will be able to bring our knowledge and expertise to help the next generation, through mentor programmes and skills training.”

The announcement comes as tourism in Scotland is experiencing record growth, with the global appeal of Scotch whisky playing a leading role in attracting visitors. It also comes as the Scottish Government and its agencies, Scottish Enterprise and VisitScotland, launch the Scotland is Now campaign, to sell Scotland to the world as a business and tourism destination.

Posted by Steve Rush

GORDON & MACPHAIL ANNOUNCES THE RELAUNCH OF ITS SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY PORTFOLIO

Leading whisky specialist Gordon & MacPhail, has today announced that it will be relaunching its portfolio of single malt Scotch whiskies.

The first of range to be relaunched will be its ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ series, which marks its fiftieth anniversary this year. The series was first pioneered in 1968 by George Urquhart, at a time when very few whiskies were bottled as single malts.

Gordon & MacPhail announces the relaunch of its single malt Scotch whisky portfolio

The 122 Year Old, family-owned company is streamlining its existing portfolio into five distinct ranges: ‘Discovery’, ‘Distillery Labels’, ‘Connoisseurs Choice’, ‘Private Collection’ and ‘Generations’. Each of which is said to celebrate Gordon & MacPhail’s single-minded commitment to the art of Scotch whisky maturation.

Commenting on the news, Stephen Rankin, Director of Prestige at Gordon & MacPhail, said: “Gordon & MacPhail has a 122-year history of forging strong and lasting relationships with distillers across Scotland and our loyal consumers. With four generations of experience in the whisky industry, we have continually evolved, innovated, and grown. As we begin a new chapter, we are streamlining our portfolio to make it more accessible for our consumers, placing their desire for products with heritage, authenticity, and provenance at the heart of each range. We want to take malt whisky lovers on a journey that will help them explore beyond their usual whisky choices.”

The relaunched ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ series, will be followed by the launch of the new ‘Discovery’ range in late spring, the ‘Distillery Labels’ series in the summer and new look ‘Private Collection’ range in the autumn. This will then be followed by the unveiling of a new ‘Generations’ series, the date of which is still to be confirmed.

The bottlings in the new Gordon & MacPhail ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ series, will very in RRP, from £70.00 to £500.00.

Posted by Steve Rush