|
Edinburgh's
Holyrood Distillery successfully raises
£5.8million for building work to
commence next month.
Building work on Edinburgh’s first
single malt whisky distillery for 90
years is now set to go ahead next month
following a successful funding drive to
raise £5.8million to fund the creation
of the new 11,969 sq ft Holyrood
Distillery and visitor centre in the
heart of Scotland’s capital.
Led by Johnston Carmichael, the
successful fundraising marks a pivotal
milestone in the distillery’s
development, following the City of
Edinburgh Council’s decision in 2017 to
approve development of the historic
Engine Shed building and site on St
Leonard’s Lane into a distillery and
visitor centre. Holyrood Distillery will
begin construction on the site in May,
with the aim of opening its doors to the
public in spring 2019.
The new funding comprises investments
from 60 private investors from around
the world and £1.5m from the Scottish
Investment Bank, Scottish Enterprise’s
investment arm. The funds will be used
to renovate the 180-year old City-owned
building, purchase and install
equipment, create the visitor experience
and provide working capital to cover the
early costs of start-up and production,
ultimately creating 35 new jobs in the
capital.
Rob Carpenter, Founder, Holyrood
Distillery said: "With a lot of hard
work and effort by the whole team, and
working with the supportive and highly
professional team at Scottish Investment
Bank, we have reached our fundraising
target, allowing us to bring the
distillery to life. We can now move on
to the fun part - building our new
distillery and visitor centre and making
delicious spirits. We want our customers
to be our guides, helping us shape and
build the spirits and flavours that they
most enjoy. It’s a new collaborative
approach to spirit production that we
are all truly excited about and one
which we believe offers something quite
different from other distilleries."
Kerry Sharp, director of the Scottish
Investment Bank, said: "Scottish
Enterprise welcomes the development of
this new distillery and visitor
experience in Scotland’s capital.
Tourism supports over 30,000 jobs in
Edinburgh with over £1m per day being
spent on food & drink. This will be a
positive addition to the city’s food &
drink sector whilst enhancing its
tourism offering. We look forward to
helping the company deliver its growth
plans."
A joint development by David Robertson,
former Master Distiller for The
Macallan, and Rob and Kelly Carpenter,
founders of the Canadian branch of The
Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Holyrood
Distillery will be Edinburgh’s first
single malt whisky distillery since Glen
Sciennes closed in the 1920s.
Under the guidance of Head Distiller,
Jack Mayo, the distillery will produce a
range of single malts, gins, liqueurs
and other spirits. Holyrood tell me that
their progressive approach to playing with
flavours, ingredients, distilling
processes and maturation will set it
apart. This ‘flavour first’ focus will
be brought to life in a matter of months
with prototype gins and liqueurs being
made available for testing.
The visitor centre aims to provide a
totally new kind of distillery visitor
experience, immersing guests in the
flavour sensations of Holyrood’s range
of spirits.
|
