Stannergill single malt Scotch whisky?

In the north of Scotland, they're not sleeping pears in ashes. A region that until recently was a desert on the distillery map of Scotland has recently begun to fill up with distillery content. No longer just Pulteney in Wick, or Wolfburn, launched in 2013. For some time there has been talk of building a distillery at John o'Groats, there have been rumors of starting whisky production at North Point Distillery, and not long ago we received confirmation of plans by the owners of Dunnet Bay Distillery to build a whisky distillery. And the latter distillery has just announced a program to sell barrels from the first batch of whisky produced here.

Dunnet Bay Distillery is a small facility located in the small settlement of Dunnet at the base of the Dunnet Head peninsula on the northeastern tip of the Scottish mainland, established in 2014. Despite its young age, the distillery has already managed to establish a vague reputation as a producer of Rock Rose gin, in several varieties, and Holy Grass vodka. Both products have won a string of awards, including IWSC, Spirits Business and Difford's Guide. Interestingly, Holy Grass vodka is the Scottish equivalent of our Zubrowka, a beverage produced using, among other things, fragrant turmeric, a grass also known as just Zubrowka.

Last year, the owners of Dunnet Bay Distillery applied to local authorities for permission to adapt the historic, dilapidated Castletown Mill farm buildings in the nearby village of Castletown on the shores of Dunnet Bay. All paperwork has been successfully completed and the relevant permits issued in June 2022, so construction work will start on site any moment now.

One of the biggest challenges facing new distilleries is securing financing for operations during at least the first three years of a plant's operation, when production costs must be incurred, but the whisky produced must age in bonded warehouses before it can be sold as just whisky. In addition to income from the production and sale of vodka and gin, as well as from serving tourists, Dunnet Bay has relied on an idea proven at several other distilleries, namely the preorder of whiskey barrels.

Stannergill, as the whisky produced at the new distillery will be called, has been offered for sale in a number of 200 barrels of 250 liters each. The cost of purchasing a single barrel is £4,750. Once production is underway and these barrels are filled with fresh distillate, they will go to a newly built warehouse on the shores of Dunnet Bay, where they will be allowed to remain for up to 10 years, with their future fate already decided by individual buyers.

The renovation and construction work at Castlehill Mill is expected to be completed next summer, and that's when fresh spirit will flow from the new distillery's alembics. The whisky will be matured in bourbon barrels and sherry casks, and the finished product is expected to be light and fruitier than many traditional Scotch whiskies, according to the producer.

Following the example of some other distilleries more firmly rooted in both tradition and market realities, Stannergill Whisky plans to establish a virtual club of brand supporters, called The 1818 Society.

In press materials, the new distillery is often referred to as the northernmost whisky plant on the Scottish mainland. However, the indications of the Google Maps system do not confirm this thesis. Castlehill Mill, however, appears to lie slightly further south than the aforementioned Wolfburn Distillery, founded in 2013. It may become necessary to take accurate measurements to determine the actual state of affairs.

The new distillery will be another point of interest on the hugely popular North Coast 500 tourist route.


[08.11.2022 / graphic: Dunnet Bay Distillers]