GlenWyvis Distillery to become gin and whisky ‘dual operation’

Scotland’s ‘first’ community-owned distillery, GlenWyvis, will move gin production to its new Dingwall site in early 2018.

Glenwyvis’s gin production will move to Dingwall

The distillery, based in Dingwall, will become one of a “select few” gin and malt whisky producers in Scotland.

“Gin sales will remain a core income stream for us, as we seek to build the foundations for a long-term whisky distilling operation,” said John McKenzie, founder and managing director of Glenwyvis.

Currently, Glenwyvis gin is distilled by the Shetland Distillery using nine botanicals, including Hawthorn berries.

“We are extremely grateful to our partners at the Shetland Distillery for supporting us through the start-up phase and helping to establish our gin brand in the market,” said David O’Connor, chairman of the distillery’s board.

“However, moving gin production to Dingwall is something that our members requested when we sought their views earlier this year. In fact, it is one of the drivers behind our second open share offer, and with strong continued investment, we’ve opted to place the order for the gin still now, so we can commence dual production in 2018.”

After hitting its £1.5 million crowdfunding target last year, Glenwyvis launched a second share offer, with a target of £750,000.

Earlier this month, Glenwyvis appointed Mortlach Distillery’s Duncan Tait to the role of distillery manager. The company will start distilling new make spirit for its whisky before the end of this year and will host an official opening next month.

The gin still will sit next to the whisky stills