When you picture a whisky distillery, what do you have in mind? Probably some kind of huge warehouse filled with giant cylinders and tanks, its basement packed with musty wooden barrels. That is, after all, the classic whisky distillery vibe.
What you might not picture, however, is a tall tower – well, until now, that is. The UK’s first vertical whisky distillery has opened in Scotland. Called the Port of Leith Distillery, it stretches up nine storeys and, excitingly, is open to visitors.
The project was conceived by wine merchant Ian Stirling and finance director Paddy Fletcher and designed by Glasgow architects ThreeSixty. It produces the Port of Leith whisky and, appropriately, it’s in Leith, a buzzy Edinburgh port district that we recently named one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the entire world.
More than just a whisky distillery, though, Port of Leith intends to become one of the area’s biggest tourist attractions and welcome 160,000 yearly visitors by 2025. Crucial to that are its distillery tours, which cost £26, last 90 minutes and include a full lowdown of the production process.
Visitors can also reserve a spot at the top floor mezzanine bar, which offers 360-degree views out over both Edinburgh and the surrounding landscape. Here are a few pics of the place.
All this opened on October 11. You can find out more about visiting on the official Port of Leith Distillery website here.
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