Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Trust inks £3m deal with Moray coppersmith for new distillery

Grant Gordon, founder and chairman of The Cabrach Trust.
The Cabrach Trust founder and chairman Grant Gordon.

Forsyths, of Rothes, is to complete construction of Scotland’s newest single malt whisky distillery.

The fabrication firm and coppersmith will carry out the work at The Cabrach Distillery, in Moray, under a seven-figure deal.

The Cabrach Trust, the charity which established The Cabrach Distillery as a Community Interest Company (CIC), commissioned the £3 million project.

Forsyths is a fourth generation family business which designs and manufactures distilleries around the world, as well as manufacturing a wide range of equipment for the energy sector.

It will be undertaking all major aspects of construction, alongside the full manufacture, fit-out, and commissioning of the new distillery, dunnage warehouse and peat shed.

l-r The Cabrach Trust founder and chairman Grant Gordon and Forsyths chairman Richard Forsyth Snr.

Meanwhile, Forsyths has donated £500,000 towards the development.

Forsyths chairman Richard Forsyth and Grant Gordon, founder and chairman of The Cabrach Trust celebrated the partnership at the company’s Rothes fabrication facility.

The Cabrach Trust is making Forsyths, a founding partner of its distillery, alongside the Ethos Foundation and Bently Foundation, which are both supporting the project.

Beyond building works and distillery fit-out, Forsyths has committed to a long-term relationship with the trust to include “shared learning, cereal and sustainable practices”.

Mr Forsyth said: “To be able to put into practice to positive effect our decades of expertise in helping to build some of the world’s finest distilleries is a privilege, especially somewhere so unique and steeped in whisky folklore as The Cabrach.

This sort of proposition doesn’t come round very often in life.”

Richard Forsyth Snr, chairman, Forsyths.

“The fact The Cabrach Distillery is a Community Interest Company and will directly benefit the Moray community – our community – was a huge draw for Forsyths, which is why we wanted to support the project as much as possible.

“This sort of unique proposition doesn’t come round very often in life and we’re delighted to be a part of it.”

Mr Gordon said: “With the build in full flow, we are so grateful for the support provided by Forsyths.

“We have absolute confidence in the experience and ability of Forsyths to create a distillery befitting of the Cabrach’s historic significance in whisky production.

“It is a privilege to work with and alongside such an array of incredible peer, community and funding partners.”

Single malt production back to the community for first time in 170 years

Completion of the distillery will bring single malt production back to the community for the first time in more than 170 years.

In late 2021 The Cabrach Trust announced it had secured multimillion-pound funding to start work on its distillery; a project which will showcase the craft of making Scotland’s national drink, while telling the story of the historic area.

During recent months enabling construction work has delivered access to the site at Inverharroch, between Dufftown, in Moray, and Elrick, Aberdeenshire.

This allows attention to turn to the trust’s 19th century steading, which will house the distillery and a future heritage centre.

Architect's impression of The Cabrach Distillery and Heritage Centre.
Architect’s impression of The Cabrach Distillery and Heritage Centre.

Once complete, The Cabrach Distillery will produce 22,000 gallons of spirit each year, using barley sourced from the fields adjacent to the distillery and nearby farms.

The site will have modern energy efficiency and recycling  features, and operate as a social enterprise.

Future revenues will support the trust’s community regeneration efforts..

By the time spirit flows from Cabrach Estate stills next year, more than 170 years will have passed since legal distilling in the area came to an end.

The Cabrach used to be haunt of Jacobites, illicit distillers and smugglers

In 1823, a significant change in legislation succeeded in encouraging three Cabrach families to establish legally-regulated distilleries on their farms – Blackmiddens, Lesmurdie, and Tomnaven.

For more than 20 years, these distilleries flourished but various factors impacted on their economic viability, and one by one they closed.

The Cabrach, a remote, upland area, was once a community of more than 1,000 residents and the haunt of Jacobites, illicit distillers and smugglers.

But depopulation means fewer than 100 people call The Cabrach home today.

The distillery project is the cornerstone of the trust’s regeneration plan to create employment and attract visitors to the area.

Earlier this year the trust opened a discovery trail and also relaunched The Cabrach Games, a former staple of the Highland Games calendar, after an 87-year hiatus.

Conversation