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Port of Leith hires head of whisky
The UK’s first vertical whisky distillery, Port of Leith, has appointed Vaibhav Sood as its head of whisky.
Located in Leith’s ‘historic’ port in Edinburgh, Scotland, the £13 million (US$16.53m) nine-storey distillery is due to open later in 2023.
The head of whisky role is one of 50 long-term local jobs that will be created by the distillery in the coming year.
Sood, who formerly held the position of operations manager at The Lakes Distillery, said: “Joining the iconic Scotch whisky industry was always a dream of mine, and immersing myself in a distillation process as unique as Port of Leith is already proving to be an incredible experience.
“Alongside getting to work with such a dedicated, passionate and forward-thinking team, I’m honoured to be leading in all aspects of whisky making as we work towards bringing our new world class single malt to people across the globe.”
Paddy Fletcher, co-founder of Port of Leith Distillery, said: “Vaibhav’s appointment is a huge step forward for us as we look towards starting production in the next couple of months.
“Already, he has been instrumental in streamlining elements of our production process, spearheading our wood management program and recruiting for our whisky operations team, and we look forward to his input in creating our exceptional new wave whisky.”
With tours, tastings, and a top floor mezzanine bar boasting panoramic views of Leith and Edinburgh, the Port of Leith Distillery anticipates it will attract 25,000 visitors in its first year, with projections soaring to 160,000 annual visitors by 2025.
Furthermore, the distillery is expected to produce up to one million bottles of whisky per year.
It will harness locally grown barley in its whisky production, and will utilise years of research into yeast and fermentation.
In addition, it has procured casks from premium producers in Spain, Portugal and the US.
Port of Leith Distillery is the latest long-term investment in Leith by co-owners Ian Stirling and Fletcher, following the opening of the Lind & Lime Gin Distillery in May 2022.
The eco-friendly gin distillery – which is powered by 100% green electricity – has since welcomed more than 6,000 visitors to its tasting, bottling and cocktail-making tours, with numbers forecast to increase to 15,000 visitors annually this year.