TWO Fife distilleries have announced plans to expand their facilities in a move described by Fife Council as a ‘considerable boost’ to the area’s food and drink sector.
InchDairnie Distillery, which established a distillery and bonded warehouse distillery in Glenrothes in 2012, has purchased almost 11 acres of land at Osprey Road to expand its operations. A bonded warehouse development for storage of whisky during its maturation will be constructed on the site.
The business has committed £18 million to the construction of a bonded warehouse development at the Glenrothes site, which will be used for the storage of whisky during its maturation. It has hopes that the expansion will create six jobs.
Elsewhere, Wemyss family Spirits, producers of hand-crafted Scottish spirts, has purchased land from Fife Council at Osprey Road in Glenrothes. The business has secured planning permission to construct 12 bonded warehouses for whisky maturation on the 8.25 acres of land it has acquired, with construction set to get underway ‘soon’.
Councillor Altany Craik, spokesperson for finance, economy, and strategic planning at Fife Council, said, “This has been an ongoing project, with both InchDairnie Distillery and Wemyss Family Spirits working together with Fife Council’s economic development and planning Teams, to create these significant expansion opportunities.
“It’s a welcome investment to the area around Whitehill Industrial Estate; it offers a significant boost for the food and drink sector, with job creation expected in the longer term; and it reinforces Fife’s position as a major distilling hub.”
InchDairnie Distillery’s MD, Ian Palmer, commented, “We are delighted to build on our initial investment here in Fife with this additional maturation capacity. This expansion will allow the production from our now expanding distillation capacity to be all matured here in Fife.”
William Wemyss, MD of Wemyss Vintage Malts, added, “Development and owning our own maturation warehousing and bottling plant is an important strategic move for us to support our existing spirits business. As a longstanding Fife family, we are delighted to make this additional commitment to the region after our investment in Kingsbarns Distillery in 2015”
