Chivas Brothers have formally applied for planning permission to build their first distillery on Islay. The plans for the proposed new site near Bowmore include a visitor centre and improvements to local roads.
The firm - whose current portfolio of distilleries includes Aberlour, Glenlivet and Scapa - first announced plans for their inaugural Islay distillery back in October 2023. After almost a year of planning, the application was submitted in October this year before being validated by Argyll and Bute Council on 26th November.
Production director Brian MacAuley commented on the latest development: “We can confirm we have now submitted a planning permission application to Argyll and Bute Council for a site at Gartbreck Farm in Islay, which, consistent with our vision to shape the future of sustainable Scotch, will be carbon neutral in distillery operation from day one.”
Sustainability will be a major part of Chivas’ Islay distillery. Parent company Pernod Ricard have revealed plans for all their production facilities to be net zero by 2026. In September last year, Chivas announced they were investing £60million to help achieve this goal.
MacAulay continues: “We will continue to work closely with the community and local authorities to ensure that all voices are heard through this process in order to create a distillery that the people of Islay can be proud of while minimising and mitigating any direct or indirect impact on residents. We will await a decision on our application before further announcements are made.”
This announcement is only the latest chapter in story of a proposed distillery on Gartbreck Farm.
Between 2014 and 2017, Hunter Laing found themselves in a long running dispute with Jean Donnay, owner of Glenn ar Mor distillery in Brittany. A deal appeared to have been brokered in late 2017 but no further news regarding the intended Gartbreck distillery emerged. The project seemed to be finally killed off when Hunter Laing’s Ardnahoe started production in 2018.
Chivas Brothers have taken the reigns on the attempt to get whisky production started at Gartbreck Farm. At the time of their announcement Jean-Etienne Gourgues, chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers, claimed that the new plans were “completing our comprehensive and award-winning Scotch portfolio.”
For more information on Chivas’ initial announcement and the complicated history of the Jean Donnay-Hunter Laing feud, check out our previous article: ‘Gartbreck Heartbreak: A Fresh Start for Islay's New-ish Distillery.’
As yet, little further information has been revealed about Chivas’ plans for the distillery. However, a design statement by planning agents North Planning and Development suggested that “once operational, the proposed distillery will focus on the production of Islay single malt, celebrating the region’s distinctly smoky and peated profile.”
We’re obviously a long way off before we can expect new whiskey from Chivas’ Islay site. The group’s plans are currently open to public consultation and the local authority are expected to make their decision by late March next year.
In short, we’re months away before breaking ground on the site, never mind production starting and doors opening. Nevertheless it is still an important and exciting step towards new spirit from one of Scotland’s best loved whisky making regions.
