Plans have been accepted for what is going to change into Islay’s twelfth Scotch malt whisky distillery. Laggan Bay is about to be developed by whisky bottlers and brewers The Islay Boys, in affiliation with Ian Macleod Distillers.
Argyll and Bute Council has granted planning permission for the distillery, which The Islay Boys stated will produce ‘a standard, double-distillation Islay whisky’, at Glenegedale in Laggan Bay, near the island’s airport.
The brand new improvement, on a two-hectare website, may even embrace a brand new brewery constructing for Islay Ales, the Hebridean island’s solely brewery, which The Islay Boys acquired in 2018. The brewery and distillery shall be positioned lower than a mile from Islay’s longest seashore, the Huge Strand in Laggan Bay.
Exploring whisky: Inside Islay
The Islay Boys are Mackay Smith and Donald MacKenzie, each initially from the Rhinns peninsula on Islay’s west coast, who established the enterprise as an impartial Scotch whisky bottling firm in 2016.
They promote a variety of single malt and blended malt Scotch whiskies below such manufacturers as Flatnöse, Bårelegs and Picti.
Laggan Bay Distillery shall be developed in a partnership between The Islay Boys and Ian Macleod Distillers, the family-owned Scotch whisky firm that owns the Glengoyne and Tamdhu single malts, and Edinburgh Gin.
Ian Macleod Distillers is at present reviving the Rosebank distillery in Falkirk, mothballed in 1993 and residential to the historic triple-distilled Lowland single malt of the identical title.
The Islay Boys and Ian Macleod are stated to have a long-standing relationship, with Ian Macleod Distillers chairman Leonard Russell saying: ‘I’ve recognized and labored with The Islay Boys for a very long time, and I’m delighted to have the ability to convey our lengthy expertise in creating high quality Scotch single malts to the Laggan Bay Distillery challenge.’
When full, Laggan Bay is about to change into the twelfth lively malt whisky distillery on Islay, after the event of two different new distilleries over the subsequent few years. Diageo is at present reviving the cult Port Ellen distillery, with the brand new plant set to open in 2023, 40 years after the unique distillery closed, whereas Elixir Distillers is creating Portintruan, positioned between Port Ellen and Laphroaig on Islay’s southern coast, which is about to begin manufacturing in 2024.
The 9 distilleries at present operational are Ardbeg, Ardnahoe, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman, Lagavulin and Laphroaig.
The final whisky distillery to open on Islay was Ardnahoe, positioned within the northeast of the island and overlooking the isle of Jura, which was opened by impartial whisky bottlers Hunter Laing in late 2018.
