Skye and Lochaber distilleries attend Holyrood showcase
The growth of the Scotch whisky industry was marked last week at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.
Kate Forbes MSP, who attended the event, said it was great to see so many new emerging distilleries located at the heart of Highland communities.
During the course of the evening the MSP for Skye and Lochaber spoke to several distillery representatives, including the Ben Nevis Distillery, Raasay and Diageo – who own Talisker.
The SNP politician said: ‘There has been a significant growth in the whisky industry in recent years, with new distilleries in Skye, Raasay and Dingwall to name just three.
‘As whisky remains one of Scotland’s biggest exports, it’s great to see new, emerging distilleries located at the heart of Highland communities.
‘Many of the new distilleries are locally owned too which means that the benefits will hopefully be shared locally.
‘It was great to welcome Ben Nevis distillery and Raasay distillery in particular to the Parliament, and I had a chat with both. Ben Nevis continues to draw in visitors from far and wide, and for good reason. There are few places as iconic as the foot of Ben Nevis.
‘Raasay only opened comparatively recently but is already getting noticed, not least for its determination to source barley locally, working with local farmers.’