InchDairnie Distillery
Whitecraigs Road
Glenrothes
Fife
History: With only a 18-month build and almost no PR, InchDairnie distillery opened in 2015 on the outskirts of Glenrothes, with a £15m investment. It is the brainchild of Scotch whisky veteran Ian Palmer, who has previously worked at Invergordon, Glen Turner, Glen Moray and Starlaw.
Ian first set plans into place in 2011 to create a distillery that would be energy-efficient, focused on extracting maximum flavour for their sprit and represent a “forward-thinking approach to producing malt Scotch whisky”. InchDairnie will have capacity to produce two million litres of whisky in its first year.
The spirit: Ok, so I could go on about the number of innovative methods they are using here to create their spirit but essentially they are not doing this just for show. Every method is there for a reason to impact the flavour of their spirit. There is no sign so far of a ubiquitous gin being introduced and they are set in stone about the timeframe of its first whisky being ready in 2029 – though I wouldn’t be surprised to see something groundbreaking before then. They will also be creating different style of spirit for strategic partner, Macduff International, in the meantime.
Geek alert: From spirit produced according to the seasons, and installing a hammer mill and mash filter (only the second Scotch whisky distillery to do so), to their bespoke Lomond still – a relative unicorn in Scotch distillery terms which contain plates to control the distillation – this is a whisky geek’s dream.
Why visit? As well as not telling a soul that they had started distilling until six months after the event, InchDairnie also has no facility for people wanting to visit. I’m sure if you are an avid whisky geek there may be a way of getting in but at the moment they are just focusing on creating amazing spirit.
There is something quite refreshing about the clandestine way they have gone about their business and it has only made me more excited to see what they come out with in the coming years.
Interesting fact: It is pretty rare these days to get the opportunity to buy a whole cask from a distillery with only a handful offering this. If you are truly into your whisky and in particular investing in it then I would say you should look into the InchDairnie Cask Owner’s Club. The distillery are selecting just 30 casks of their spirit which will be released each year through the InchDairnie Cask Owner’s Club, with the owners having full control over their cask.
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