New distillery plans for Cairngorm park revealed

Gordon & MacPhail has unveiled images of the new distillery the company hopes to build in the Cairngorm National Park in Scotland.

The distillery, which would be built at Craggan near Grantown-on-Spey, has been designed to take advantage of stunning views across the River Spey to the Cairngorm mountains.

The circular design of the building would disguise much of the day to day working of the distillery within the service yard. Sedum roofs will help the buildings blend into the surrounding environment when viewed from higher ground.

More than 150 people visited the exhibition and viewed the plans, which included computer generated images of the distillery and associated buildings.

The family owned firm, who also own Benromach Distillery at Forres, announced last year that it hopes to build a second distillery at Craggan. The production rate will start at 375,000 litres per year, although the distillery will be capable of producing 2 million litres of alcohol in the longer term.

Response locally to the plans has been overwhelmingly positive.

Ewen Mackintosh, Gordon & MacPhail’s managing director, said they had been delighted at the response at an event held as part of the planning process. He explained: ‘We’re really pleased at the number of people who came along to see our plans, we couldn’t have asked for a warmer welcome. People are saying how excited they are to see a distillery being proposed for the area as they believe it has the potential to support Grantown-on-Spey as a destination and encourage visitors to stay longer in the town.’

Gordon & MacPhail has been working closely with architects NORR to create the designs for the distillery, the first new build Scotch malt whisky distillery to be built in the Cairngorm National Park.

An artist’s impression of the proposed new Gordon & Macphail distillery

Members of the fourth generation of the Urquhart family, owners of Gordon & MacPhail, were at the exhibition to hear the views of the local community and emphasise the company’s commitment to the area.

Stuart Urquhart, Gordon & MacPhail operations director, said: ‘We are a longstanding family-owned business with strong roots and commitment to the north of Scotland. Building and operating our second distillery is part of our generational plan to grow a long-term sustainable business, whilst continuing to be part of the fabric of the local community.’
Gordon & MacPhail is a family owned business which has built its knowledge and experience of the Scotch whisky industry over a 120-year history.

In 1993, the Urquhart family realised a long-held ambition when they acquired Benromach Distillery and reopened it after extensive refurbishment in 1998.

A member of the world famous Malt Whisky Trail, Benromach Distillery attracts around 15,000 visitors to the area every year, a figure they aim to increase further with the opening of their Red Door Gin visitor experience this year.