WORK on a £40million distillery in Moray is progressing well, with the business expected to begin operating in spring next year.

The last of 14 copper stills was installed this week at Roseisle, Scotland’s first major new distillery for 30 years.

Construction of the plant will be finished by the end of the year and 25 jobs will be created when the business is up and running.

Part of a £100million investment from drinks giant Diageo, it has gained the backing of the community, after residents were bussed in and given a guided tour.

Diageo donated £9,000 for refurbishment at the village hall in May and chairwoman of the hall committee Sarah Fennings-Mills said: “The feeling is that it’s very much our distillery. Diageo have involved us and kept us informed every step of the way.

“There are some concerns about increases in traffic but I think that’s very much a problem everywhere in Scotland.”

It will be Diageo’s largest malt distillery, with a capacity of 10million litres of whisky per year – 4million more than its current largest-scale production distillery at Dufftown.

Roseisle will get most of its energy from renewables, but will depend on traditional production processes to produce its malt whisky.

Each copper still, which weighs between five and six tonnes, took coppersmiths around four months to craft.

Diageo’s malt distilling director Brian Higgs said: “An immense amount of work has gone into crafting the stills and preparing for their arrival.

“Copper is vital because it has an important impact on the flavour. You wouldn’t get Scotch if you didn’t use it.”

He said the site had been chosen for environmental reasons as well as being in a prime barley growing area.

“The distillery will be put on a piece of land next to our existing maltings, allowing us to use the waste heat from the distillery in the maltings. This will make it neutral in terms of fossil fuels.”

Source: Press and Journal

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