A London distillery boss has revealed his love for Moray and Speyside after outlining his vision for a new craft whisky distillery near Forres.
The team behind London’s Bimber Distillery will now renovate the existing farm sheds, erect a new cask storage space and a stone building for traditional floor malting.
The company also hope to attract visitors by building a dedicated visitor centre.
Distillation to start in 2022
Bosses are hoping distillation can start on site at Dunphail Distillery in 2022.
The distillery will support local contractors, businesses and deliver a jobs boost through the creation of around 10 roles.
Why chose Moray for distillery?
For years, Bimber founder Dariusz Plazewski has enjoyed trips to the region.
Now he wants to be part of the thrilling whisky community in Moray and Speyside.
Mr Plazewski said: “I picked Forres because it is in Moray Speyside and I love the area.
“It is close enough to cites and I have visited Forres many times.
“When I spotted that place I thought I would just go for it.
“I love the location and emotionally the closed distillery Dallas Du is on the way to see our site.”
What will be different about this Moray distillery?
The region has an array of distilleries, but Mr Plazewski stressed Dunphail Distillery would be unique and bring something different.
He told the P&J: “We are not designing the distillery around being a visitor centre.
“It will be properly functioning to produce the whisky we want.
“The visitors is something on top.
“We want people to see the real hands on process rather than cutting any corners.”
‘What we are building isn’t just another distillery’
The distillery aims to produce a full-bodied, fruit-forward spirit in both unpeated and peated styles.
He said it is “important” to get back to the tradition of making whisky by hand.
He added: “We are going back 100 years and before the industrial revolution.
“Then everything was done by hand and people didn’t rush.
“What we are building isn’t just another distillery.
“We want people to understand every part of the process and appreciate the time and work.
“The process will include direct fire.”
Work on the site is expected to begin within the next fortnight.