GlenWyvis

Introduction:

GlenWyvis Distillery is located on land owned by John Mckenzie, the founder and managing director of GlenWyvis. The distillery is leased for a term of 175 years for a nominal fee of one pound. One notable aspect of GlenWyvis is its commitment to sustainability. The distillery utilizes various forms of renewable energy generation, including solar energy, hydroelectric power, biomass boilers, and wind turbines.

Production:

GlenWyvis operates with two stills, which were manufactured by Forsyths Ltd in Rothes. These stills have the capability to produce both whisky and gin, showcasing the distillery’s versatility.

History:

The town of Dingwall, where GlenWyvis is located, has a long history of distilling. One of the most famous distilleries in Dingwall was the Ferintosh distillery, established in 1690. It had the unique privilege of producing whisky without paying taxes, but this privilege was revoked in 1784 due to protests from neighboring distilleries. The distillery faced difficulties and eventually closed in 1926. Ruins of the Ferintosh distillery can still be found at the site.

In 1879, the Ben Wyvis distillery was established in Dingwall (not to be confused with the distillery of the same name that existed on the site of the Invergordon distillery from 1965 to 1977). It was later renamed Ferintosh in 1892 after being acquired by an Irish company. However, the distillery couldn’t withstand the impact of the US Prohibition era and closed its doors in 1926.

Another distillery in the area was Glenskiach, built north of Dingwall in 1896. It also succumbed to the effects of Prohibition and closed in 1926 before being completely demolished in 1933.

With the rise in popularity of blended whisky in the late 1950s, the Invergordon Distillery was established east of Dingwall to produce whisky for blends. Today, it is part of the Whyte & Mackay group and remains the only grain whisky distillery in the Highlands.

GlenWyvis pays homage to the distilling traditions of the area through its name, combining the names of the Glenskiach and Ben Wyvis distilleries. The modern GlenWyvis Distillery was officially opened on November 30, 2017, with the support of over 3,000 investors who contributed £3.8 million to the project.

Visitor Centre:

GlenWyvis operates a shop and visitor centre called GlenWyvis Basecamp. It offers GlenWyvis Gin, gift items, and a special Highland Inspiration Single Malt Whisky, bottled to commemorate the laying of the foundation stone in January 2017. While physical tours of the production facilities are currently not available, GlenWyvis provides a virtual tour online, allowing visitors to explore the distillery remotely.

The Basecamp is in the Victoria Restaurant at the following address

The Victoria
4 High Street
Dingwall
IV15 9HL

Visitor information:

GlenWyvis Distillery
Upper Docharty
Dingwall
IV15 9UF
+44 (0)1349-862005