The Cabrach Distillery has agreed a seven-figure deal with fellow Moray firm Forsyths to complete construction of Scotland’s newest single malt distillery which will operate as a one-of-a-kind social enterprise.
The Cabrach Trust – the charity that established The Cabrach Distillery as a Community Interest Company – has agreed a partnership with Forsyths, a fourth-generation family business that designs and manufactures distilleries around the world. Forsyths will undertake all major aspects of construction, alongside the full manufacture and fit out of the facility.
First spirit from the stills is expected to flow next year, by which time more than 170 years will have passed since whisky was last legally distilled in the area. Once famed for illicit distilling and smuggling, Cabrach is recognised as one of the birthplaces of the Scotch whisky industry.
Forsyths have made a philanthropic donation of £500,000 towards the project, with principal construction and distillery works costing a total of £3 million. In recognition of that support the Cabrach Trust will enshrine Forsyths as a founding partner alongside the Ethos Foundation and Bently Foundation, which have also supported the project.
"We have absolute confidence in the experience and ability of Forsyths to create a distillery befitting of the Cabrach’s historic significance in whisky production, and it is a privilege to work with and alongside such an array of incredible peer, community, and funding partners,” said Grant Gordon, founder and chairman of the Cabrach Trust.
A remote upland area in the north-east of Scotland, the Cabrach was once a community of more than 1,000 residents and a legendary haunt of rebellious Jacobites, illicit distillers and smugglers. However, today fewer than 100 people live there.
The distillery project is the cornerstone of the Cabrach Trust’s regeneration masterplan for the area.
“To be able to put into practice, to positive effect, our decades of expertise in helping to build some of the world’s finest distilleries is a privilege, especially somewhere so unique and steeped in whisky folklore as the Cabrach," Forsyths chairman Richard Forsyth said.
READ MORE: Scotland's murky whisky heritage to be celebrated with a new visitor attraction
"The fact the Cabrach Distillery is a Community Interest Company and will directly benefit the Moray community – our community – was a huge draw for Forsyths, which is why we wanted to support the project as much as possible. This sort of unique proposition doesn’t come round very often in life, and we’re delighted to be a part of it.”
Once complete the distillery will produce 100,000 litres of spirit annually from barley sourced from the fields adjacent field and nearby farms. Future revenues will support the trust’s community regeneration mission.
Earlier this year the trust opened its discovery trail and also relaunched The Cabrach Games, a former staple of the Highland Games calendar, after an 87-year hiatus.
Trust chief executive Jonathan Christie added: “The Cabrach Distillery is a project like no other and there is an incredible group of individuals and organisations pushing the project forward at pace.
"To be embarking on the most important part of the development with Forsyths by our side, as we drive towards first distillation, is beyond exciting.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here