Bunnahabhain upgrade
PLANNING permission is being sought for an £11 million upgrade to the Distell-owned Bunnahabhain Distillery on the north-east coast of the island.
If approval is granted, work on the project is expected to begin in the autumn of this year.
A number of the buildings in the distillery, some dating from the 1960s, are no longer fit for purpose and require demolition. This will lead to the provision of more acceptable warehouse buildings and the establishment of a new visitors’ centre and lounge.
This latter development will increase visitor numbers to the seaside distillery, which is set in some of the area’s most spectacular scenery.
The distillery’s manager’s house is also to be replaced and renovations will be carried out to the eight cottages which front the village shoreline. Some of these will be available to rent, while the others will be used to house distillery employees.
The project includes plans to upgrade the single-lane road which leads to the distillery.
This is certain to attract more visitors to the distillery as driving along the present Bunnahabhain road, despite its surrounding scenic attractions, is not for the faint-hearted.
Moorings at the distillery pier, which once handled the incoming grain shipments and the outgoing whisky supplies, are also planned.
Bunnahabhain began distilling in 1881 and was bought in 2013 from Burn Stewart Distillers by the South African group Distell. It also owns Mull Distillery, which is also to undergo a major upgrade programme.