Still game – millions invested in bringing back iconic Port Ellen distillery
One of Islay’s most famous whisky sites is being revived by drinks giant Diageo, reports Sean Murphy
The revival of one of Scotland’s most famous lost whisky distilleries is gathering pace after plans for the project were formally submitted to local authorities.
The detailed application, setting out proposals that will see iconic Islay distillery Port Ellen reopened more than 35 years after it was closed, have been filed with Argyll & Bute Council, following community
engagement and pre-application consultation with key stakeholders.
The distillery’s buildings, which are located on the south coast of the island, have gone through many changes since it first opened in 1824, with the distillery closing and largely being demolished in the 1930s, before being rebuilt in the 1960s.
Following its most recent closure in 1983, very few of the original buildings remain. The original kiln building with its classic pagoda roofs and the traditional seafront warehouses will be restored as integral parts of the revived distillery, as well as a new stillhouse.
Subject to planning approval, Port Ellen will be brought back into production in a combination of modern and heritage buildings housing both traditional and innovative approaches to distilling.
Owners Diageo, who announced the £35 million project to rebuild both the Port Ellen and Brora production sites in October 2017, say that this will be achieved through two pairs of copper pot stills and two separate distillation regimes.
The primary distillation regime, using two stills that exactly replicate the original Port Ellen copper pots, will carefully recreate the original spirit character of the distillery that made its single malt so highly sought after. Alongside this will be a second, smaller pair of stills that will produce alternative spirit characters, allowing the Port Ellen whisky makers the freedom to experiment with new styles.
Georgie Crawford, master distiller leading the Port Ellen project, said: “This is another hugely significant milestone.
“This is no ordinary distillery project, we are bringing a true whisky legend back to life and we believe our plans do justice to the iconic status of Port Ellen and will capture the imagination of whisky fans from all over the world.”