In recent years, the whisky world has not been short of new distilleries opening their doors and firing up their stills, and the coming year looks to be no different. It can all be a lot to keep on top of, so we’re here to help by highlighting a few that - at the time of writing - will have opened and started production by next Hogmanay.
From the revival of an old favourite to an ambitious zero-carbon project, here are three new distilleries to keep an eye on during 2023.
PORT ELLEN
Whisky fans rejoiced in 2017 when Diageo announced their plans to reopen both Brora and Port Ellen - two long lost and well-loved distilleries. Unlike Brora, however, Diageo almost had to start from scratch with this legendary Islay brand, as none of the original equipment remains and very few of the buildings could be used. However, all going well, Port Ellen will reopen this year.
The iconic whitewashed walls of Port Ellen’s warehouse will remain a focal feature of the site, while the all-new still house will be home to two pairs of stills. The first set of stills aim to replicate the rich, peaty style of whisky that Port Ellen became known for - a flavour profile so iconic that Port Ellen has retained legions of fans, even decades after the distillery first closed. We’re already looking forward to the debates about how the new compared to the old.
However, Port Ellen’s revival won’t just be cashing in on nostalgia; innovation will be part of the distillery’s identity going forward. The second smaller set of stills will be dedicated to alternative distillation methods, allowing the team freedom to create more experimental expressions.
Time will tell how the new distillery adds to Port Ellen’s near-monolithic legacy. Nevertheless, it will be an exciting addition to Islay’s whisky landscape.
Speaking of monolithic…
PORT OF LEITH
…those visiting Edinburgh’s Leith harbour may have found themselves in the shadow of a giant new structure.
Edinburgh has an incredibly rich whisky heritage, once being home to an abundance of blenders, bottlers, and bonded warehouses. As one of Scotland’s main ports, Leith played a central role in Edinburgh’s importance to the whisky industry. The team behind the Port of Leith distillery are looking to tap into this history and position themselves at the forefront of Edinburgh’s whisky revival.
The Port of Leith distillery will no doubt become one of Scotland’s most visually impressive distilleries. Eschewing traditional ideas of what a distillery should be (admittedly through necessity rather than by design), the Port of Leith is a massive vertical tower that overlooks the whole harbour.
At the heart of this building is a distinctive vertical production process, with grain milling and mashing taking place near the top of the building, and the rest of the process flowing down through to distillation at the bottom. The building will also feature lab spaces for students from Heriot-Watt University and a bar on the top floor offering stunning views of the Edinburgh skyline.
They aim to produce 400,000 litres of spirit per year once production begins. A house style has yet to be determined, though the team have experimented with the impact different yeast strains can have on the final spirit while researching at Heriot-Watt and Glasgow Distillery.
As well as exporting whisky, Leith was also historically a centre for importing the finest wines and sherries. In another ode to the heritage of the area, the Port of Leith distillery aim to mature their whisky in wine, sherry and port casks. Indeed, an Oloroso sherry and tawny port have both been bottled by Port of Leith, the casks of which will be repurposed for their whisky.
EDEN MILL
From the old-yet-new to entirely-brand-new to the ‘wait I thought they already had a distillery?’
Eden Mill distillery launched in 2014 as an extension to the Eden Brewery in Guardbridge, west of St. Andrews. In 2018, the owners announced plans to move spirit production to an entirely new facility.
Recently, a 50 year lease agreement has been reached between the Eden Mill team and the University of St Andrews to build an entirely new distillery and visitor centre at the university’s Eden Campus. The Eden Campus is dedicated to sustainable business and research, and the latest Eden Mill venture will tie into that.
The new distillery will be partially powered by a local biomass plant in combination with solar-generated power, while they are also currently exploring the possibility of capturing the carbon from the production process to use as fuel. All of this is with the aim of making Eden Mill one of the world’s first carbon neutral distilleries.
Like the current site, Eden Mill will produce both whisky and gin at their new distillery. So whether you’re environmentally conscious, intrigued by new whisky developments, or if you prefer your spirits clear, there will be something for everyone once the new distillery opens its doors, currently scheduled for the first half of 2023.