New business is the perfect tonic
A GIN and tonic still has a certain cachet so where better to distil the spirit than at a Kintyre castle?
Niall Macalister Hall is constantly creative as he tries to keep his 1200-acre ancestral estate running. This year he opened a micro-hydro electric station that will power 90 houses and benefit the wider community.
His latest plan for the estate, located on the Kintyre peninsula, south of Carradale, is for a distillery that will produce a unique gin.
Mr Macalister Hall took over the running of Torrisdale estate six years ago and since then has further developed the existing self-catering business and also promotes the estate as a wedding venue.
Now, with support from Business Gateway Argyll and Bute, Mr Macalister Hall has set up Beinn an Tuirc Distillers which will officially launch in early 2017.
He said: ‘The estate has been in my family since 1872 and when I took over in 2010 I wanted to make some changes which would see the grounds and castle becoming more sustainable and used for different developments.
‘Our self-catering business has been very successful and that gave us the confidence and motivation to go ahead with our plans to install a small batch craft distillery and produce our unique Kintyre gin.
Momentum
‘We recently launched the new business on social media to let people know it was coming soon because, despite the lead time of nine to 12 months, we wanted to build momentum with a view to a possible crowdfunding scheme in the next couple of months.
‘The response and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, which puts us in a good position.’
Mr Macalister Hall, a surveyor, aims to incorporate a small visitor attraction, including a tasting room, and working in conjunction with the self-catering side of the business offer gin lovers from around the world activities such as gin making weekends.
Mr Macalister Hall and his team’s longterm goal is to create other products such as gin infused with local fruits from the Victorian walled Torrisdale garden and orchard, vodka and other spirits.
He added: ‘We do have a clear plan in place that suggests we will be employing at least three full-time and three part-time members of staff by year five.
‘It is a very exciting time and we are delighted that we can develop the estate in such a way that will provide additional income but also employment to the local economy.
‘We sought support from Business Gateway and our adviser Barbara Halliday has been extremely helpful. She assisted in pulling together our business plan after we discussed it in depth and she outlined the various sources of funding that may be available to us.
‘In the future we will look at getting further expert advice and technical assistance when required.’
Important
Mrs Halliday, business adviser, Business Gateway Argyll and Bute, added: ‘Torrisdale Castle is an important historical site in the region and it is fantastic that Niall has plans to further develop the estate.
‘Our one-to-one support and advice has helped Niall put his idea into place.’
To find out more about how Business Gateway can help you set up and develop your own business, call 01546 808 363 or visit www.bgateway.com/argyll-and-bute.