Port of Leith Distillery: Edinburgh’s Towering Ambition in the World of Single Malt
Edinburgh’s Port of Leith Distillery finally uncorks its £12 million dream, designed to churn out one million bottles of single malt annually. The brainchild of Ian Stirling and Paddy Fletcher, this vertical behemoth stakes its claim as the UK’s inaugural tower-style whisky distillery.
Pioneering more than just spirits, the distillery sets its sights on becoming Leith’s largest tourist draw in decades. The goal? A quarter-million footfalls by 2025, kicking off with an ambitious 25,000 in year one. It’s a vision years in the making, with construction commencing in late 2020 following pandemic-induced delays.
Stirling reflected on the journey: “A decade in the dreaming, this distillery is the crystallization of our long-held ambition. Its vertical design isn’t a stylistic whim; it’s a necessity dictated by the compact harbor location we snagged.”
The visitor experience? A 90-minute deep dive into the distillery’s genesis, capped off with hands-on bottling and a tasting session in their Quality Control Lab. Add a panoramic bar with a whisky-backdrop and a locally-sourced small-plate menu, and you’ve got a whisky lover’s paradise.
Fletcher chimed in: “Edinburgh lacked a single malt epicenter. Our modern, audacious facility fills that void, hopefully nudging folks to revisit their notions about Scotch whisky, an industry buzzing with innovation.”
Tours kick off on October 11, running midweek through weekend, with tickets at £26 a pop. Beyond the whisky, the distillery pledges to inject up to 50 long-term jobs into the local economy.
