A Capital Idea

Your whisky expert brings you news of a talented team aiming to bring distilling back into the heart of Edinburgh

- Euan Duguid

IF Scotland is the very engine room of global whisky production, it seems a shame that our capital hasn’t yielded a drop of single malt in almost 100 years.

Things are firing back into life in Auld Reekie, however. And, perhaps fittingly, the uisge beatha renaissance is happening in a place that is no stranger to industry and innovation.

In a project reminiscent of an ambitious Grand Designs episode, Holyrood Distillery’s home will be a B-listed building which was built in 1835 as part of the Edinburgh & Dalkeith Railway (E&DR).

In true Grand Designs spirit, a few compelling feats of heavy plant manoeuvring are set to unfold in the very heart of the capital.

“We’re very excited and somewhat terrified at the same time,” explained David Robertson, former Master Distiller for The Macallan, referring to the overall endeavour.

David has embarked on the joint venture with Rob and Kelly Carpenter, founders of the Canadian branch of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

“The site spans 1115 square metres (12,000 sq ft) and is situated next to Holyrood Park,” he continued. “What struck me at first was that the building had the look and feel of an old maltings – but with three levels.

“It absolutely fits the bill but it has presented one or two engineering challenges in terms of how we jigsaw all the distillery plant together.