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Plans have
been submitted for a new distillery in
Campbeltown, the planned Dál Riata
Distillery will have a 850,000 litres of
pure alcohol a year capacity.
Plans have been submitted for a new
distillery in Campbeltown, the planned
Dál Riata Distillery which will have a
850,000 litres of pure alcohol a year
capacity will be located in Kinloch
Road, overlooking Campbeltown Loch right
in the heart of Campbeltown.
Once known as the capital of the whisky
world, in the mid 1800s Campbeltown
boasted over 25 distilleries, until a
dramatic decline during the 1920s - by
1929 the town had only two operating
distilleries.
With the birth of Dál Riata Distillery,
the legendary whisky region of
Campbeltown is set to experience a
distilling renaissance not seen for over
a century. The name Dál Riata is
derived from the ancient kingdom that
existed on the Western coast of Scotland
and Northeast Ireland between the 6th &
9th Centuries.
With an annual production capacity of
850,000 litres of spirit per annum the
planned Dál Riata Distillery will be no
micro distillery, it will have a
slightly higher output capacity than the
existing Glen Scotia distillery in
Campbeltown. Dál Riata plans to
utilise locally grown barley from Dunadd
Hillfort; this area, near Lochgilphead,
was the capital of the Dál Riata
kingdom and will be inspiration for
creating a spirit and whisky fitting to
the style and traditions of the region.
Plans have been submitted for the
distillery by Bowman Stewart Architects
of Lochgilphead. The distillery will aim
to enhance the area and work within the
Campbeltown Conservation Area scheme.
The Still House will incorporate
curtain-wall glazing with a viewing
balcony providing sweeping views of the
Loch and bay. In addition to the
distillery, a retail and visitor’s
centre will be situated on Longrow,
adjacent to the distillery.
Behind the new Dál Riata Distillery
plans is a three man Director team, a
couple of them may be familiar to some of
you as they are not new to the world of
whisky:
- Iain Croucher
Founder and owner of North Star
Spirits Ltd, an internationally
recognised company and twice
Independent Bottler of the Year.
- David Stirk
Previous founder and owner of
Creative Whisky Co Ltd and author of
“The Distilleries of Campbeltown”.
- Ronnie Grant
Owner and Managing Director of RB
Grant Ltd with over 25 years’
experience within the construction
industry.
Iain Croucher, one of the three man
Director team behind the new distillery
commented: "Dál Riata Distillery will be
much more than just a single malt whisky
production facility; it will be friends
and family, it will be business, it will
be social and believe us, it will be
fun. A distillery is nothing without its
supporters. To be able to connect with
people around a table discussing our
production methods, wood policy or our
maturation strategy, or simply to catch
up with old friends, I can only imagine
will be the most magical whisky
experience. The addition of this
distillery to the Campbeltown region
will reinforce the town’s place in the
story of Scotch and Dál Riata will be a
new chapter to an already incredible
history."
South Star Spirit’s first three
bottlings:
To mark the launch of both South
Star Spirits and Dál Riata
Distillery, three bottlings have
been released under the South Star
Spirits label: Highland, Speyside
and Islay. Each release is a classic
expression of the area from which
they have been produced and each
expression is a vatting of 10
Hogsheads:
- South Star Spirit’s Highland is a 10
Year Old single malt. The liquid
itself is nutty, rich and chewy with
a robustness expected of a Highland
whisky.
- South Star Spirit’s Speyside is also
a 10 Year Old single malt. The nose
is fruity and floral, leading onto a
salty- sweet palate of toffee and
syrup.
- South Star Spirit’s Islay is an 8
Year Old single malt. The intense
peaty liquid boasts those classic
Islay flavour notes of smoke, sweet
vanilla and sea salt on the palate.
There are 2,200 bottles of each
of South Star Spirit’s first three
bottlings available worldwide; all are bottled
at 48% ABV, non-chill filtered and
are naturally colour and they will
be available in the UK from 22nd
February 2022 from specialist online
whisky retailers such as
The Whisky Exchange,
Amazon
and
Master of Malt
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