A Caithness distillery on the North Coast 500 route revealed last week it was embarking on a major expansion to cash-in on the soaring success of the road trip.
Dunnet Bay Distillery – producers of Rock Rose Gin and Holy Grass Vodka – hopes to boost its turnover and international sales and create at least one new job to its 12-strong workforce.
The £248,000 development of the micro distillery, which was established in 2014 by Martin and Claire Murray and is the most northern distillery on mainland Britain, has been boosted by a £64,000 contribution from Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
The extension will enable it to instal another still for increased production flow, as well as a new warehouse to expand storage facilities, and a visitor centre to welcome more people and enhance the visitor experience.
Mr Murray said the rise in demand was in part “thanks to a significant increase in numbers of visitors from the North Coast 500”.
Dunrobin Castle in Sutherland has also witnessed record visitor numbers in recent months, with bosses attributing the rise to the NC500.
It lodged plans this week to build a new 250-space car park at the site, new visitor toilets, and won permission last year to build a new whisky and gin distillery, tasting rooms, a shop and warehouse, with a total of eight jobs to be created as a result.