A new £5m whisky distillery in Moray has taken a step closer to becoming a reality with the news that The Cabrach Distillery & Heritage Centre has received a £500,000 investment from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
The distillery is the first major project of The Cabrach Trust, which was set up in 2013 to preserve the cultural heritage of The Cabrach – a once-thriving but now sparsely populated area on the northern edge of the Cairngorms National Park – and safeguard its remote community.
It is hoped the distillery will breathe new life into area, said to be one of the birthplaces of the Scotch whisky industry, and attract thousands of visitors every year.
The Trust secured £3.5m to activate the project in 2021. The latest investment will help to pay for the refurbishment of 19th-century buildings at Inverharroch Farm that will eventually become the distillery’s home.
Once completed, the distillery will reflect manufacturing techniques from the 1800s and create the equivalent of 12.5 full-time jobs, operating as a social enterprise. Annual turnover is forecast to reach £3.4m after eight years of production, with all surplus profits ploughed back into the local community.
Jonathan Christie, chief executive officer of The Cabrach Trust, commented: “This investment from Highlands and Islands Enterprise is central to realising The Cabrach Distillery; a project which will serve as the lungs of our long-term, transformational regeneration strategy for this important place.
“Beyond vital funding, the trust is excited to work alongside HIE as we deliver what we collectively believe has the potential to become an exemplar of community led rural regeneration in action.”
