ISLANDERS could soon be sipping a locally-made whisky instead of collecting bottles from the beach if plans for a distillery on Benbecula are given the go-ahead.
Father-and-son team Angus A MacMillan and Angus E MacMillan, who set up the Uist Distilling Company, will submit plans for a £6.5 million unit at Gramsdale.
They say the distillery – which will also include a visitors’ centre and a food outlet – will create 25 jobs and secure up to 70 posts in the wider supply chain.
The pair also plans to make gin and rum on the site, which could open in 2022.
Designs for the distillery include large glass walls, so visitors can enjoy the views during their tours.
The project brings back memories of the SS Politician, which ran aground further south off Eriskay in 1941, spilling its cargo, which included bottles of whisky that washed up on the beach.
The incident inspired Compton Mackenzie’s novel and film Whisky Galore!
Read more whisky news and reviews on Scottish Field‘s whisky pages.
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