Plans have been revealed for a £25 million Scotch malt whisky distillery at Inveraray Castle, seat of the Duke of Argyll, who is chief of Clan Campbell.
Argyll Estates and European spirits company Stock Spirits Group, owner of the Clan Campbell whisky brand, have lodged a planning application notification with Argyll and Bute Council.
The planned Inveraray Distillery, once completed, will create more than 20 local jobs, those behind the project said.
READ MORE: Ian McConnell: Distillery lifts spirit of fragile Isle of Harris community
Clan Campbell is a blended Scotch whisky and the plan is to produce a single malt whisky in Inveraray Distillery which could also be used in the Clan Campbell blend, the partners revealed.
They declared: “Clan Campbell is one of the leading Scotch whisky brands in France and is also available in other European markets. In total, it sells 1.2 million nine-litre cases in Europe. It has been recently launched in Germany and the Czech Republic with further plans to offer it to consumers in other countries.”
The Clan Campbell brand was acquired by Stock Spirits Group from Pernod Ricard in 2023.
The proposal is to build a 950 square metre distillery capable of producing up to two million litres of alcohol per annum, within the grounds of Inveraray Castle.
As part of the planning application notification process, local people will be consulted on the plans and will have the opportunity comment on them, those behind the project said.
READ MORE: Traditional public house dating back to 1771 for sale as owner retires
Subject to planning permission being granted, construction could start early in 2025 with the first spirt being produced in 2027.
Inveraray Distillery will also include a visitor centre, which is expected to become a “major local tourist attraction, encouraging visitors to remain in the area even longer”, the project partners said.
The distillery and visitor centre are expected to create more than 20 full-time equivalent jobs for local people.
READ MORE: Ian McConnell: Not funny, and nothing to inspire from either of them
It will be constructed “in co-operation with local companies and suppliers, using the latest building methods and environmentally friendly solutions”, ensuring carbon neutrality from day one, the project partners said.
Torquhil Campbell, 13th Duke of Argyll and chief of Clan Campbell, said: “Inveraray Castle and Clan Campbell are inextricably linked, with the castle having been the Argyll family seat since the 15th century. To see Scotch whisky being distilled in the grounds will be a significant positive development – for the local community, for the castle and for Clan Campbell.”
Jean-Christophe Coutures, chief executive of Stock Spirits Group, said: “Clan Campbell Scotch whisky is an iconic whisky brand that has established strong links with the Duke of Argyll.
"I am proud that our company has the opportunity to establish a distillery near Inveraray Castle. This investment is an important step for the group towards having its own single malt whisky production, which will strengthen the Clan Campbell brand and Stock Spirits' presence in this growing category.”
He added: “Our state-of-the-art Inveraray Distillery will be equipped with the latest technologies, including those that are environmentally friendly. Its creation will also benefit the local community in the form of new jobs. We look forward to working with Argyll Estates on this next chapter in the Clan Campbell story.”
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 hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel