Port of Leith opens £12m whisky distillery

Edinburgh-based Port of Leith has opened its new £12 million (US$14.5m) distillery, which can produce one million bottles of single malt whisky per year.

Thought up by Port of Leith’s co-founders Ian Stirling and Paddy Fletcher over a decade ago, the site claims to be the UK’s first vertical whisky distillery.

The distillery hopes to welcome 25,000 visitors in its first year, increasing to 160,000 by 2025 – which would make it the biggest tourist attraction to be built in Leith for decades.

Work on the site began in November 2020 after being initially delayed by the pandemic.

Stirling commented: “Building a distillery of our own has been an ambition of Paddy and mine for over 10 years, so to see the project finally come to fruition is a surreal moment for us.

“We never set out to build a vertical distillery – the shape and size of the building is a product of the tiny site we were able to secure. We wedged our distillery tower into Edinburgh’s historic harbour to make our building as accessible as possible to people who, like us, love whisky.”

Lasting 90 minutes, visitors can expect a guided walk through the story behind the distillery, fill their own miniature bottle of new make spirit and enjoy samples from the distillery’s production process in Port of Leith’s Quality Control Tasting Laboratory.

The distillery also boasts a top-floor mezzanine bar fitted with 360 views of the area, a floor-to-ceiling back whisky bar and a menu of small plates that showcase local ingredients.

Fletcher added: “Coming from Edinburgh, we were always confused as to why there were no single malt distilleries operating in the city. 

“Being able to build something modern and different has been an enormous treat, hopefully it will encourage people to take a second look at Scotch whisky as there’s huge amounts of innovation and excitement going on within the industry.”

The tours can already be booked from 11 October with available times including 12-8pm from Wednesday to Friday; 11am-7pm on Saturdays; and 12pm-5pm on Sundays. Tours are priced at £26 (US$32) per person.

The new distillery aims to create up to 50 long-term local jobs.

In July, Port of Leith hired Vaibhav Sood as its new head of whisky.

Edinburgh is also home to two other single malt distilleries that have opened in recent years – Holyrood Distillery in the city centre, and Halewood-owned Bonnington in Leith, home to the John Crabbie & Co whisky brand.