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Scotland's
most northerly mainland distillery which
will be named '8 Doors Distillery' is
offering whisky enthusiasts the chance
to buy casks and purchase bottles from
some of the first casks they will lay
down.
You may recall back in March last year I
announced that husband and wife team
Derek and Kerry Campbell had secured
planning permission for a new micro
distillery in John O’Groats which when
established would be Scotland's northernmost mainland
distillery.
Today they unveiled the name of the new
micro-distillery, "8 Doors Distillery",
and the inspiration for the 8 Doors
Distillery name comes from the story
of Jan de Groot, from whom the village
of John O’Groats takes its name. Mr de
Groot, a Dutchman who once plied a ferry
from the Scottish mainland to Orkney,
built his legendary house in the area
during the reign of James IV
(1488-1513). Mr de Groot’s seven
descendants quarrelled about succession,
so he decided to build an octagonal
house with eight doors - one for him and
each of his seven sons - and an
eight-sided table so that nobody could
sit at the ‘head of the table’.
The £1 million project will establish
the first whisky producer in the
Caithness village since 1837 distillery
and on the 32,670 square feet
site will have the capacity to produce
up to 60,000 litres of whisky each year.
Set to open in 2021, the distillery and visitor centre will
be housed in one large building and
whisky will be matured in an on-site
bonded warehouse.
The founders are taking advice from
Ian Evans of whisky consultancy
Distilled Experience who is a former
Operations and Compliance Director with
William Grant & Sons.
As well as naming the new distillery
today they also announced a launch offer
for whisky enthusiasts to buy into
Scotland's most northerly mainland
Scotch distillery with their 874 Founders Club and the 874
Club.
- 874 Founders Club - the top tier
of membership, limited to 250
members. Founder members will get
their hands on some truly unique
casks of Highland Single Malt
Whisky. There are 250 cask packages
available from £1,600.
- 874 Club - the core membership
limited to 1,250 members. 874 Club
members will get three 70cl bottles
of exceptional Highland Single Malt
Whisky. Matured in first-fill,
tailor made casks from Spain, the
three different expressions are
derived from seasoning and oak types
chosen by John Ramsay. These bottle
packages are £420.
8 Doors Distillery is collaborating with
renowned whisky master John Ramsay to
create its exclusive launch products.
John brings with him over 40 years’
experience in the whisky industry,
having being involved in the making of
some of Scotland’s most well-known
whiskies including The Famous Grouse,
The Glenrothes and The Macallan.
Kerry and Derek see their limited
edition launch as the first step in an
incredible journey to realise their
distillery dream. They have named the
874 Club after one of the greatest
journeys in the UK - the 874 miles
between Land’s End and John O’Groats.
The 874 Founders Club offers the
exclusive opportunity to become a member
and buy one of a limited number of 50
litre and 250 litre Founders Casks. The
874 Founders Club cask packages will be
available for sale exclusively through
Whisky Hammer for an initial period of
one month until 5 November.
Those who join the 874 Club will receive
a collection of three bottles from some
of the first casks laid down and can
purchase these packages directly from 8
Doors Distillery.
Both packages come with a host of
benefits including a members’ card
entitling the individual and a friend to
free tours for life. Founders Club
members will also be permanently
recognised with their name on the
Founders Display within the distillery.
Kerry Campbell, co-founder of 8 Doors
Distillery, said: "The creation of our 8
Doors Distillery in John O’Groats and
our limited edition launch is part of a
dream come true for Derek and me. We
have a long-held passion for whisky and
for the local area in Caithness where we
both grew up. We’re so pleased to be
able to bring them together with the
development of our distillery and
visitor centre.
"We love whisky, and for us it’s more
than just having an exceptional liquid
in the glass. It’s the stories that go
alongside it, the memories of special
occasions and get-togethers with family
and friends. If we can be part of
creating not only a fantastic whisky but
also great memories for people who drink
our whisky that would be amazing.
"We couldn’t think of anywhere better
than John O’Groats to make whisky,
partly thanks to the climate which we
believe is perfect for distilling and
maturation, and the great people who
live here. Since we’ve announced our
plans to the build the distillery we’ve
had lots of local support. And we’re
delighted to be working with such
industry experts as John Ramsay and Ian
Evans for our launch products.
"We believe our limited edition offer
provides an unmissable opportunity for
whisky lovers across the world to join
our 874 Club and be part of the creation
of a new Scotch legacy. It truly is
whisky from the edge."
"And we’re pleased to be working with
another independent Scottish family-run
business, Whisky Hammer, as part of our
launch campaign. We’ve had direct
experience of their premium service and
passion for the whisky that passes
through their doors so we can't think of
a better partner to launch our founders
casks with."
John Ramsay said: "It has been wonderful
to collaborate with Kerry and Derek at 8
Doors Distillery to help them realise
their dream of a whisky that reflects
the unique environment of John O’Groats.
Having worked in the industry for many
years, it’s great to be involved in
producing the first whisky from
Scotland’s most northerly mainland
distillery.
"8 Doors Distillery is particularly
exciting for me as it’s the first Scotch
whisky project I’ve been involved with
since I retired in 2009 after 43 years
in the industry. When I met Kerry and
Derek and found out more about their
desire to create a distillery in John
O’Groats I wanted to get on board.
"One of the things that really appeals
to me is their commitment to producing a
whisky that involves maturation as much
as distillation. They realise the
importance of high-quality casks.
"We are developing a flavour profile
that brings to life the local climate
and the influence of the sea. Once the
spirit has been matured on-site in
carefully selected first-fill casks from
Spain designed to our specifications, I
believe we will be bringing something
original to the world of whisky from
this remote part of Caithness.
Daniel Milne, co-founder of Whisky
Hammer, said: "We’re excited to team up
with Kerry and Derek at 8 Doors
Distillery, and expect demand to be high
for their exclusive 874 Founders Club
cask packages. It’s great to see people
with such a passion for Scotch bringing
something new to the world of whisky. We
would urge anyone interested in being
part of this legacy to visit our site as
soon as they can."
Highlands and Islands Enterprise is
investing up to £198,000 in the new
venture. Keith Muir, the agency’s head
of business growth in Caithness and
Sutherland, said: "This is a fantastic
development, and it is great to see a
project coming forward even in these
difficult times that will be of real
benefit to the tourism sector and to the
local community.
"We are delighted to be able to help
this local young couple fulfil their
dreams of creating a new distillery in
John O’ Groats. We look forward to the
launch of 8 Doors Whisky and wish Kerry
and Derek every success."
Another Scotch whisky distillery is
always welcome although asking whisky
enthusiasts to purchase three bottles of
unknown whisky for £420 which going by
the imagery they have sent me will be
bottled at 5, 6 and 7 year old
respectively is a very big ask. I think
that the cask sales will be more popular
and an easier sell. I wish them the best
and hopefully I will be reviewing a new
8 Doors Highland single malt whisky in
the years to come.
Anyone interested in buying exclusive 8
Doors Distillery casks (available from
midday today, 6 October) or bottles
(available from this morning of 6 October) to
should visit:
https://www.8doorsdistillery.com/874-club-memberships
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