The Borders
Distillery opens its doors to visitors
from May 1st.
Following the return of whisky
distilling to the Scottish Borders on
the 6th March 2018 when new make spirit
started to flow from the copper pot
stills at The Borders Distillery in
Hawick the distillery is now opening its
doors to visitors from tomorrow, Tuesday
1st May.
This is a pivotal moment for the four
founders of the Three Stills Company (TTSC),
owners of The Borders Distillery but
also for distilling in the Scottish
Borders. as the whisky industry had
ceased to exist in the region for almost
200 years, with the last-known operating
distillery closing in Kelso in 1837.
In March 2013, Tim Carton, John Fordyce,
Tony Roberts and George Tait, founded
TTSC aiming to capitalise on the growth
of Scotch Whisky sales, particularly in
Malt Whisky, and the explosion in demand
for gin made in Scotland. Having all
worked at one time or the other at
international distillers William Grant &
Sons and having spent much of their
professional lives in the drinks sector,
they knew there was an opportunity to be
had in building a new distillery and the
opportunity lay in the Scottish Borders.
In November 2015 TTSC announced that it
had reached its £10m fundraising target
to be able to realise its vision for The
Borders Distillery and work began a year
later to redevelop two large sheds,
dating from 1888, and a Tudor Cotswold
building, which was constructed by
Hawick Urban Electric Company in 1903
which were located on a 1.3-hectare site
overlooking the River Teviot in Hawick.
The fact that the Borders region is the
heartland for barley production in the
UK, also played a part in the decision
to construct the distillery in the
Scottish Borders.
The distillery comprises a visitor
centre and shop on the ground floor and
entertaining/meeting space on the first
floor: the open-plan Gallery, furnished
with a bar and lounge seating, and the
Teviot Room. The still hall is equipped
with two wash stills, two spirit stills
and a specially commissioned Carter Head
still, all manufactured by Forsyths of
Rothes. Operating at full capacity, The
Borders Distillery can produce up to two
million litres of pure alcohol.
It will be a minimum of three years in
cask before the first Borders Distillery
Single Malt can legally be made
available for sale. TTSC, however,
already has two brands in market: Clan
Fraser, a blended Scotch whisky, and
Lower East Side, a blended malt Scotch
whisky.
Tim Carton commented: "It was five years
ago that we (the founders) came together
to create a business plan that would
spearhead the resurrection of an
industry that had been lost to this
region for generations. This is a
seminal moment for our business. In
addition to being the first Scotch
Whisky distillery to exist and operate
in the Scottish Borders since 1837, we
are now in a position to contribute to
the growth of this fine industry. Scotch
whisky is again experiencing exciting
times with growth fuelled by new and
more mature markets."
The Borders Distillery will open 10am to
4pm Monday to Saturday and guided tours
will be held on the hour, every hour,
for a ticket price of £12.
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