The ‘end of the line’ distillery will have the capacity to produce up to 60,000 litres of whisky each year and will be the first Scotch whisky distillery in John O’Groats since 1837.
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| New micro whisky distillery to open in John O'Groats |
The distillery which is the brainchild of local husband and wife team Derek and Kerry Campbell, will become Scotland’s most northernly mainland whisky distillery, thanks to its location near to the coastline of John O’Groats.
Situated in the heart of the area on a disused plot adjacent to the main car park, alongside producing whisky the venture will also offer a new visitor attraction to tourists and provide those travelling from Land’s End to John O’Groats with an opportunity to toast their journey with a dram of Scotch whisky.
The new distillery and visitor centre will encompass one large building which has been designed to showcase the two copper stills and traditional whisky making process. A 1,500 square foot dunnage warehouse will also be built on the site to mature and store the Highland spirit.
Commenting on the news, Kerry Campbell, said: “With a longstanding interest in the whisky industry, I began to truly appreciate quality Scotch whisky around 12 years ago and since then have developed a growing passion for Scotland’s national drink. After many conversations with my husband around the idea of building our own distillery and creating our own whisky, I’m delighted that we are now one step closer to making these plans a reality having secured planning permission on our dream site at John O’Groats.”
She went onto say: “We believe the whisky we will produce will be unlike that from any other distillery, due to our coastal location in John O’Groats and the impact the local climate will have on our spirit as it matures. With traditional methods at the heart of our plans and an ambition to showcase whisky distilling in John O’Groats to the world, we are looking forward to opening the doors to our micro-distillery in due course.”
It is estimated that six new jobs will be created at the distillery during the first year, including a Master Whisky Maker and Visitor Centre Manager.
Posted by Steve Rush