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R&B Distillers gets go ahead for Campbeltown site
Scotch producer R&B Distillers has gained planning approval to build a distillery in Campbeltown and acquired a majority stake in Caskshare.
R&B Distillers, which operates the Isle of Raasay Distillery in Scotland, secured planning permission from Argyll and Bute Council to build its second distillery in Scotland, called Machrihanish Distillery.
The new site will be the first farm-to-bottle distillery in the Campbeltown region in more than 180 years. The development will include a visitor experience, shop and tasting room, with construction expected to begin next year.
The Machrihanish Distillery will produce a single malt whisky with a similar philosophy to the company’s Isle of Raasay Distillery, focusing on ‘provenance, quality, and community regeneration’.
R&B said it plans to develop a net zero distillery that removes any fossil fuel use from the whisky distilling process, using regenerative, environmentally friendly farming practices.
The project will create up to 20 new jobs.
William Dobbie, managing director of R&B Distillers, said: “The rubber stamp for the distillery marks a major milestone on our journey in Campbeltown. When the whisky becomes of age our investment will go beyond production, attracting visitors to the region and supporting the local economy in a similar way to our existing distillery on Raasay.”
“We are excited to be making this investment in Campbeltown and supporting the local economy through jobs and visitors. This milestone has particular significance to our family as my father Bill’s family come from Drumlemble, a small village in between Machrihanish and Campbeltown.”
R&B Distillers has also acquired a controlling stake in e-commerce platform Caskshare.com.
Caskshare offers bottles of single cask whisky, including Scotch, R&B-owned brands and whiskies made across the world. It also enables producers to sell directly to consumers globally.
R&B plans to add rum and Cognac to the platform in the future and will initially target Europe and the US.
Dobbie added: “Our Machrihanish Distillery news and Caskshare majority stake puts us on a clear track towards achieving our vision of becoming the leading new wave spirits business in Scotland.”
R&B Distillers reported revenue of £5 million (US$6.2m) in 2023 and is aiming to grow sales to more than £25m (US$31.3m) over the next decade.
The company exports to 40 markets worldwide. The Isle of Raasay distillery released its debut gin in mid-2019 and its first single malt at the end of 2020.