R&B Distillers has secured planning permission for its new Machrihanish Distillery, which it describes as the first farm-to-bottle distillery in Campbeltown in more than 180 years.
Construction of the new distillery is due to start next year, with R&B highlighting its expectation that the project will create up to 20 jobs in the “local region” over time.
R&B also yesterday announced the acquisition of a controlling stake in Caskshare, a global ecommerce platform and bottler of single-cask spirits.
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Commenting on the granting of planning permission for its Machrihanish Distillery by Argyll and Bute Council, R&B said: “R&B purchased the Dhurrie Farm in Machrihanish in 2021 and having received the green light for the distillery development - starting with whisky production followed by a full visitor experience, shop, and tasting room - will now work with various stakeholders around environmental guidelines and other conditions before beginning construction on the site next year.”
Machrihanish Distillery will deliver a new single malt Scotch whisky for R&B, which owns the award-winning Isle of Raasay Distillery. R&B said its planned new single malt, “while different in style of spirit and region, will exhibit a similar philosophy around provenance, quality, and community regeneration” to Isle of Raasay.
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William Dobbie, managing director of R&B Distillers, said: “Our Machrihanish Distillery news and Caskshare majority stake puts us on a clear track towards achieving our vision of becoming the leading new wave spirits business in Scotland.”
R&B said it plans at Machrihanish “to develop a sustainable net-zero distilling model that removes any fossil fuel use from the whisky distilling process, using regenerative, environmentally friendly farming practices and creating greater biodiversity in the surrounding area”.
It added: “Up to 20 new jobs will be created in the region over time, having a positive impact on the local economy.”
Mr Dobbie said: “The rubber stamp for the distillery marks a major milestone on our journey in Campbeltown. When the whisky becomes of age, our investment will go beyond production, attracting visitors to the region and supporting the local economy in a similar way to our existing distillery on Raasay.
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“We are excited to be making this investment in Campbeltown and supporting the local economy through jobs and visitors. This milestone has particular significance to our family as my father Bill’s family come from Drumlemble, a small village between Machrihanish and Campbeltown.”
He added: “We would like to thank everyone who has helped us get to this stage - including Argyll and Bute Council, neighbouring whisky producers Glen Scotia and J&A Mitchell, and most importantly our customers and partners for continuing to support R&B and our brands.”
R&B Distillers reported revenue of £5 million for the year to December 31, 2023. It now sells in 40 markets worldwide after launching its Isle of Raasay Gin in mid-2019 and its Isle of Raasay single malt at the end of 2020. The company has set its sights on growing annual sales to more than £25 million in the next decade.
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Caskshare specialises in offering whisky fans single-cask whiskies by the bottle, including Scotch whiskies, R&B-owned brands, and world whiskies, and enables producers to sell directly to consumers worldwide, R&B noted.
Flagging its plans for Caskshare, R&B said it plans to add other cask-aged spirits such as rum and Cognac over time and will initially target markets in Europe and the US.
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