Dál Riata - a new distillery in Campbeltown
The excitement over R&B Distillers' announcement of plans to launch a new distillery in the Campbeltown region has not yet subsided, and here's another bombshell. Another whiskey plant is to be built in the town itself, right on the Campbeltown Loch, and is expected to be built in the town.
Dál Riata, because that is what the new plant will be called, is a distillery that refers to the tradition of Kinloch Distillery, on the site of which it is to be built. The new distillery will stand on Kinloch Road, and its thoroughly modern, three-quarters glassed-in alembic hall will face Campbeltown Loch Bay. The same bay that is sung about in the famous song Campbeltown Loch, and which, during Campbeltown's heyday as the capital of Scotch whisky, was the scene of a real environmental disaster, long before such a term was coined. Indeed, Campbeltown Loch Bay was the place into which production waste, mainly so-called pot ale, was dumped by a sizable portion of the 30 or so whiskey factories operating in Campbeltown.
The apocalyptic state of the waters of Campbeltown Loch Bay, however, is a thing of the distant past, and all Scottish distilleries - both established for years and new ones - are going to great lengths to ensure that their environmental impact is as small as possible, and in some cases zero.
Dál Riata (also Dalriada) is the name of a historic Gaelic kingdom that existed on the west coast of Scotland and northeastern Ireland in the 6th-9th centuries AD.
The new distillery will be equipped with two copper alembics, which will operate at a capacity of 850,000 liters of pure alcohol per year. It is planned that the barley used to make whiskey at Dál Riata will be sourced from crops at Dunadd Hillfort near Lochgilphead, at the base of the Kintyre peninsula. The whisky produced here is described as a beverage in keeping with the tradition and style of whisky made on the west coast of Scotland. So you can expect light distillates, with a distinct but subtle influence of peat smoke and sea.
In addition to the distillery, a Visitor Center and store will be launched, which will be located on Longrow, Campbeltown's main street, two steps from the distillery itself. One of the sources of income for the new company during the most difficult initial period of operation will be the bottling of whiskey under the independent brand South Star Spirits (the coincidence of names with North Star Spirits not coincidental).
The directors of the new venture are Iain Croucher, Ronnie Grant and David Stirk. The latter is known in the industry as director of independent bottler North Star Spirits.
[17.02.2022 / graphic: Dál Riata]