For the first time in nearly 40 years, Inverness is getting a new whisky distillery and brewery.
The £6m development will be sustainably powered by the water from the nearby River Ness and should create around 40 jobs.
Uilebheist is a new low carbon distillery and brewery named after the Scots’ Gaelic word for ‘monster’. Both beer and whisky production will begin this year, and the brewery’s five core beer styles should be available to purchase by late November.
The Uilebheist Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky will be created as the core whisky product and will be released once matured, as will rare cask finishes and single cask bottlings in the years ahead.
Uilebheist owner Jon Erasmus commented: “Creating both beer and whisky simultaneously will allow us to offer an immediate product and whilst we wait for the whisky to reach maturity, there will be an opportunity to own one of a limited number of casks of the Uilebheist Single Malt Whisky distilled in the first year of production, through our cask programme.
“Alongside exceptional beer and whisky, we aim to raise the bar when it comes to visitor experiences and hope that the project will lead the way for Scotland’s hospitality sector in the area.
“The centre will offer a range of tours and experiences ranging from site tours and sampling of our core whisky and craft beer products through to detailed master classes, blending workshops and food pairing menus.”
Onsite heat pumps within the adjoined sustainability centre, which are powered by the water from the River Ness, will provide heating and hot water, which is also distributed throughout the Glen Mhor Hotel complex.
The site's heating and hot water systems should result in an annual reduction in carbon emissions from the site of over 250 tonnes. The city centre site will be entirely removed from the gas grid.
The distillery and brewery will be headed up by Bruce Smith, who has a Masters degree in brewing and distilling from Heriot-Watt University and spent the last decade working in the craft beer industry and ageing beer in ex-whisky barrels.
Smith commented: “We are on track to officially open in November and begin beer production which visitors can enjoy in the taproom.
“Whisky production will commence later this year, due to our small scale we will only produce around 200 casks annually, making Uilebheist one of the rarest whiskies in Scotland.
“The whisky will be matured in ex-bourbon and sherry casks, but the whisky will let us know when it’s ready and we have no intention to rush it.”
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