Planning
permission has been secured for a micro
distillery in John O’Groats which will
be Scotland's northernmost mainland
distillery.
A new micro Scotch whisky distillery
is set to open in John O’Groats in 2021,
following planning permission secured on
the 2nd March 2020 for a 32,670 square
foot site which will house a distillery,
visitor centre and bonded warehouse.
The micro-distillery will become
Scotland’s most northerly mainland
whisky distillery, thanks to its
location near to the coastline of John
O’Groats. 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.
The distillery is the brainchild of
local husband and wife team Derek and
Kerry Campbell and to help bring their
vision to life £198,000 of funding has
been secured from Highlands and Islands
Enterprise (HIE).
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. It is estimated that six new
jobs will be created during the first
year, including a Master Whisky Maker
and Visitor Centre Manager.
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, while making the most of
the fantastic views across the Pentland
Firth through large glass windows placed
along the front of the building. A 1,500
square foot dunnage warehouse will also
be built on the site to mature and store
the Highland spirit.
Founder 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.
"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.
"The support we have received from the
local community and business owners to
date has been fantastic and we can’t
wait to welcome them to our distillery
in 2021."
Commenting on the funding provided by
HIE, Keith Muir, HIE’s head of business
growth for Caithness and Sutherland,
said: "Tourism and food and drink are
two key industries in Caithness, and
this project features both. As well as
producing a brand-new whisky, it will
enhance the area’s wider visitor
offering, notably around the North Coast
500. All of this encourages visitors to
stay in the area longer, which benefits
all local businesses and communities.
"We particularly welcome the improvement
it will make to the look and feel of the
John O’Groats end of the road
attraction, in bringing a long disused
site back into productive use. We are
very pleased to support this venture and
look forward to seeing it taking shape."
Andrew Mowat, manager at the Seaview
Hotel in John O’Groats, added: "The
development of the new distillery and
visitor centre is really exciting for
the area and is another great example of
the ongoing development of John O'Groats.
"It will complement the plans for the
mill and brewery in the area. It will
also help increase dwell time in John
O’Groats, attract more visitors,
increase employment and utilise a
currently undeveloped site.
"We are now getting closer to achieving
our aim of making John O’Groats a world
class destination, with the community
trusts and business community working
hand in to realise this goal."
Work on the distillery is due to begin
in summer 2020, with the aim of opening
the visitor centre to the public in
summer 2021.
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