An historic name in Scotch whisky production could be set to return if plans for a Black Isle distillery are approved.
Ferintosh was once a giant of the whisky industry, with owners the Forbes family benefiting from a unique tax break gifted to them in return for their loyalty to the crown during the Jacobite uprisings.
The company collapsed in the late 1700s after the privilege was withdrawn, with Robert Burns lamenting the loss of the producer in his poem, Scotch Drink. Bonnie Prince Charlie was also reputed to be a fan of the spirit.
Now, architectural firm Organic Architects has submitted plans to Highland Council on behalf of applicant Morris Dalgetty that would see the Ferintosh name resurrected at Mulchaich Farm on the Black Isle – where the original distilleries are said to have been located.
Dalgetty, a sheep farmer, owns the land that would host the distillery. The plans – submitted to the council last month – include a new whisky distillery, visitor centre and warehouse.
“Local tradition and archaeological evidence suggests that the ruins at Mulchaich Farm are the remains of one of the original Ferintosh distilleries,” said Bari Reid of Organic Architects.
“Today nothing remains of this lost region, which was once Scotland’s biggest whisky producer and the site is used for sheep-grazing as part of the farmland at Mulchaich.
“The history of the site is the very reason for this proposal coming about, and the research that was carried out for this application has proven that there was distillation on this site.”
