Dunphail Distillery will be ‘purely whisky’

Speyside-based Dunphail will be “purely a whisky distillery” once operational with no plans to produce any other spirits, assured founder Dariusz Plazewski.

Speaking to The Spirits Business last month, Plazewski, who is also co-founder and master distiller at London’s Bimber Distillery, revealed further details about his plans for the new Speyside Scotch whisky distillery.

He assured the distillery would be dedicated to Scotch whisky, with no plans to release a gin or vodka in the interim.

“It was a mistake,” he said, referring to the gin and vodka launches in Bimber’s early days. “If I were doing this again, I would never start doing any white spirit because it took a lot of energy and a lot of time.

“It wasn’t worth it commercially. So we’re not going to do this again at Dunphail.

“Dunphail is purely a whisky distillery, and we’re not going to produce any other spirit – just single malt whisky, and on the side we’re looking to launch an independent bottling programme.”

Independent bottlings will be compiled using casks from around Scotland – “and around the world if we can”, added Plazewski.

“The independent bottling will help to create some cash flow on the side. But I’m a whisky geek – I’m all whisky and I want to stay purely whisky.”

Moray Council granted Plazewski planning permission to build Dunphail in July last year. Building commenced in December 2021, which involves transforming a farm steading on the Dunphail estate, south of Forres in Scotland, into a distillery.

The distillery is forecast to produce 200,000 litres of alcohol annually, and Plazewski is hopeful that the site will be up and running this year.

Last month, Dunphail appointed Matt McKay as director of whisky creation and outreach at the distillery.

For the full interview with Plazewski, see the February 2022 issue of The Spirits Business, out now.