Whisky production has returned to The Cabrach – a once-thriving but now sparsely populated area on the northern edge of the Cairngorms National Park – for the first time in more than 170 years.
The first distillation from The Cabrach Distillery, which sits approximately 11 miles southwest of Huntly in Moray, was marked with a ceremony attended by Kate Forbes, deputy first minister and cabinet secretary for economy and Gaelic.
More than 100 guests, including the local community and members of The Cabrach Collective, attended the first distillation, which took place at Inverharroch Farm, within painstakingly restored 19th century stone steadings. The Cabrach Trust’s community-led regeneration plan will also see the development of a bistro and heritage centre alongside the distillery.
The Cabrach Distillery is a social enterprise that aspires to meet the highest social and environmental standards, creating skilled employment alongside volunteering opportunities. All future profits generated by the distillery will be used to further progress The Cabrach Trust’s community regeneration vision.
The first spirit ceremony followed a successful application by The Cabrach Trust to secure capital funding from the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund, a £75m initiative to create jobs and support innovation across the North East and Moray and targeted at projects which contribute towards the region’s transition to net zero.
During the ceremony, Forbes inspected the distillery stillhouse as the first liquid flowed through the spirit safe. She then gave a speech in the dunnage warehouse, reflecting on the bravery of the project and the transformational economic impact The Cabrach Distillery stands to realise as the centrepiece of The Cabrach Trust’s strategy.
