Planning permission has been granted for a new whisky and gin distillery in the Lowlands, with the forthcoming site set to be close neighbours to Diageo’s Glenkinchie Distillery in East Lothian.
Eydent Distillers had their plans for a distillery near Ormiston officially approved by East Lothian Council on 1st December, on the condition that construction begins within the next three years. This will become the second distillery in the area, with Glenkinchie based just a few miles away in Pencaitland.
The formal notice says permission was granted for ‘alterations, change use of agricultural buildings and land to whisky distillery, whisky cask storage, and associated works’ at East Mains. Other conditions include the group submitting details of the proposed Biodiversity Enhancement scheme for the site as well as relevant risk assessments relating to the area’s history of coal mining.
Eydent - formally known as Dissident Spirits - was formed by Ollie Salvensen and Jack Mayo. Ollie is a former employee of both Bruichladdich and Glenkinchie, while Jack is an operations consultant who brings with him distilling experience from working at Glasgow Distillery and Holyrood Distillery.
The group purchased the land and buildings for the distillery last year and submitted their proposal to East Lothian Council back in January this year.
Their proposal stated that the new distillery will “focus on flavour, provenance and sustainability,” and added that their “background has allowed us to challenge every assumption in the making of whisky and apply modern thinking and novel techniques in the pursuit of greater flavour, character and complexity.”
Jack adds that the distillery’s location is central in helping them achieve this flavour-led goal: "We chose East Lothian as the best barley in Scotland grows here; we want to highlight the quality of this barley and let its flavours shine through.”
Named Eydent Distillery, the site will produce both single malt whisky and gin, with a proposed annual output of 140,000 bottles. Five full time jobs will be created once the distillery is operational, with the team hoping to expand to twelve employees within six years.
While the group remain tight-lipped on how long they’ll wait before bottling their whisky - Jack reminds the world that "whisky is a long journey, so patience is definitely required.” -, Eydent have revealed plans to launch a Founders Club. This will give keen enthusiasts exclusive access to the distillery’s unaged spirit and year-to-year samples as it matures, as well as the opportunity to purchase a cask.
In the meantime, Eydent Distillers plan to launch their inaugural gin in 2026.
