Scotland’s first potato vodka producer is investing £150,000 to create a visitor centre.
Offering visitors an immersive experience of the Ogilvy farm and its distillery, the new Angus facility, housed in an old steading, will allow Ogilvy Vodka to showcase the journey of its sustainable and fully traceable vodka from field to bottle.
Visitors will take in the tour of the working farm and distilling process on a tractor and trailer, before rounding-off their visit in the boutique vodka tasting room.
The Ogilvy Distillery Visitor Centre is being created with support from rural development scheme, Angus LEADER Local Action Group (LAG).
The distillery and visitor centre are currently on track to open for its first tours in October. Initially creating three jobs in the area, Ogilvy have ambitious expansion plans for the future.
Graeme Jarron, farmer and founder of Ogilvy said: ‘With the launch of the V&A in Dundee and around 100,000 people flocking to visit our neighbours at Glamis Castle each year, there is a fantastic opportunity to share the story of Ogilvy farm and the Vodka and help make Angus an exciting destination area for tourists and locals alike.
‘We have been approached on many occasions about tours of the farm and distillery, so we’re thrilled to have received funding from Angus LEADER LAG to make this possible.’
As part of the funding package, Ogilvy has committed to investing £4000 a year until 2028 into three local community groups: Charleston Playgroup, Glamis Primary School Committee and the Royal Highland Educational Trust (RHET).
As farmers, Ogilvy are passionate about provenance and the funds will be used to teach future generations about rural life and where their food comes from.
Dougie Pond, chair of Angus LEADER Local Action Group added: ‘Angus LEADER Local Action Group is part of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and we aim to support initiatives that build community capacity, develop community facilities and ultimately strengthen the local economy.
‘We were impressed by Ogilvy’s innovation in the diversification of its operations to open up the distillery and to launch a vodka visitor centre and its drive to contribute to wider tourism in the area, all while supporting the local community with a ten-year investment plan.’
Ogilvy Vodka was founded by the Jarron family who have farmed the land at Hatton of Ogilvy since 1910. Frustrated with the wastage of potatoes that weren’t aesthetically-pleasing enough for supermarket sales, the team partnered up with Heriot Watt University to start producing Scotland’s first potato vodka before launching to market in 2015.
Ogilvy Vodka is distributed to independent bottle shops, farm shops and delis throughout the UK.
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