ONE of Scotland’s newest distillers has unveiled its maiden Scotch whisky.
North Point Distillery, which is based in a former US Navy installation at Forss, West Caithness, is from today giving whisky lovers the chance to acquire its Dalclagie Highland single malt for the first time. It hailed the release of the new-make spirit as a “huge moment” for the fledgling distiller, which was formed as the pandemic was taking hold in January 2020.
The new-make spirit has been distilled in the period since North Point received consent to begin production more than two years ago.
It is releasing a “strictly limited” number of casks of the new make from its 2024 filling schedule, which collectors can buy through its website or directly from the distiller.
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Today also sees the official launch of a cask programme, under which North Point said it will produce 200 casks of Dalclagie new make per year.
The unveiling of the brand and cask programme are the latest in a series of developments overseen North Point over its short life.
The distiller, which was founded by Struan Mackie and Alex MacDonald, has already won a string of awards. These include gold medals for its range of small-batch expressions of Highland rum and gin at the International Wine and Spirits Competition, the World Gin Awards, and the World Rum Awards, where it was named craft producer of the year. The distillery also won London Dry Gin of the year at the Scottish Gin Awards earlier this month.
Mr Mackie said the producer was “incredibly proud to launch Dalclagie Single Malt Whisky”.
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“Having received our permissions over two years ago, the team began work on our single malt expression, ensuring our ethos for quality and taste was at the core of everything we do,” he said.
“To finally announce the Dalclagie brand and our cask programme is a proud moment for the distillery.”
Head distiller Greg Benson noted: “Dalclagie is special. We have used the very best heritage barley varieties available to us, conducting extra-long fermentations using Kveik yeast, and spirit cuts that are dictated by taste, not efficiency.
“With notes of tropical fruit, tinned peaches, and pineapple; a full-bodied texture; and a croissant sweetness, our new make spirit is delicious before it even touches the wood. Long term, our maturation style will be influenced by hand-selected bourbon barrels, as well as Palo Cortado casks from Spain.”
North Point noted that the inspiration for its single malt, produced “where the haar from the sea meets the mist from the land”, came from the Dalclagie mill and croft.
It carries the motto: The People. The Place. The Whisky.
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The first age-statement bottles of Dalclagie will eventually be released, at six years of age, in 2028. This will be whisky it has been distilling and filling since late 2021.
Mr MacDonald said: “We feel that given our long fermentation, strict distilling process, and hand-picked casks, we will have an amazing Scotch whisky at the six-year mark. In the meantime, we will be releasing limited edition new-make bottles as of summer 2024, so people can engage with the spirit and join the liquid on the journey of maturation.”
The release of the Dalclagie single malt comes shortly after Isle of Harris Distillery unveiled its debut whisky. Stirling Distillery announced last month that it had begun distilling its first single malt, marking the first time whisky had been distilled in the city in 171 years.
Mr MacDonald added: “I believe that Dalclagie will be one of the most sought after Highland single malt whiskies on the market and we expect our cask programme to be massively oversubscribed. Caithness is fast becoming a hotbed of Scotch whisky production, a county making its mark globally and we are proud to add to the story.”
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