THE dream of Sukhinder and Rajbir Singh to build a new Scotch whisky distillery on Islay has come closer to being realised with the granting of planning approval for the project from Argyll & Bute Council.
The co-founders of Elixir Distillers, whose project is “born from a love of Islay and its whiskies, plan to build the distillery just east of Port Ellen, with plans to break ground on the project this year.
Sukhinder Singh said: “The news that our planning application has been accepted is fantastic. We’ve worked closely with the Argyll & Bute planning committee to create plans for a distillery that fits into the landscape and supports the community. We want to create whiskies that inspire both the people of Islay and Islay whisky fans worldwide, enhancing the already glowing reputation of Islay whiskies, while also becoming an integral part of the community.”
Elixir Distillers plans to include housing on-site, as well as a visitor centre and a "multi-purpose educational facility".
It also intends to create an apprentice programme to train the next generation of distillers, and hopes Wto work with the local community and Scotch whisky industry to create other initiatives to support the environment and people of Islay".
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Elixir Distillers said: "The design of the distillery features an exterior that keeps with the traditional look of the other south coast distilleries on Islay, alongside some modern touches that reflect the individual landscape of the site on which it will be built."
The Elixir Distillers team will now finalise details of their plans. The name of the distillery will be announced at a later date.
Oliver Chilton, head blender at Elixir Distillers, says: “We take great pride in being able to learn, as whisky enthusiasts, and use that knowledge as a guide to find and bottle great whisky including our independent bottlings brands Port Askaig and Elements of Islay.
"Having our own distillery will be a fantastic opportunity to apply the same methodology and passion for flavour in a drive to make truly great spirit to enhance the incredible reputation that Islay single malt already has.”
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