WORK on the UK’s first vertical distillery took a step forward this week with the installation of two hand-crafted copper stills.
The people behind the Port of Leith Distillery aim to open for business this summer, touting the development as the biggest tourist attraction to be built in Leith for decades, with a projected 25,000 visitors in its first year, increasing to 160,000 by 2025.
The installation of the stills – a 7000 litre wash still and a 5000 litre spirit still from The Speyside Copper Works in Elgin – is the latest milestone for the £12million nine-storey distillery, which will offer tours and tastings, as well as a top floor mezzanine bar with panoramic views of Leith and wider Edinburgh.
When complete, the business willk support up to 50 long term local jobs, and have the capacity to produce one million bottles of whisky per year, through an energy-saving ‘gravitational’ distilling system.
Co-Founder of Port of Leith Distillery, Ian Stirling, said: “For much of the 19th and 20th century, Leith was the unofficial capital of Scotch Whisky – making it the perfect place to build a new industrial landmark like the Port of Leith Distillery; an honest and modern piece of architecture that reflects our new and innovative approach to production.
“Installing our stills brings us one step closer to our summer distillery opening and welcoming tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world to come and experience a UK first.”
Port of Leith Distillery is the latest long term investment in Leith by co-owners and lifelong friends Mr Stirling and Paddy Fletcher, following the opening of the Lind & Lime Gin Distillery in May 2022.
