The Princess Royal drew the very first bottle of spirit from Scotland’s newest distillery when she officially opened the plant on the Ardnamurchan peninsula today.
Princess Anne met everyone involved in the distilling process at Ardnamurchan Distillery and was keen to learn more about the “environmentally friendly” way in which it will operate.
The distillery at Glenbeg on the Ardnamurchan Estate is the first distillery in Scotland to be heated entirely by locally-sourced woodchip.
The pot ale from the process will be used to fertilise local agricultural land and the draff – the residue of husks after fermentation of the grain – will be used to feed the peninsula’s livestock.
The distillery, which forms part of Adelphi Distillery Ltd, is expected to bring up to 14,000 visitors to the area every year, providing a welcome boost to the remote community in west Lochaber.
Adelphi chairman, Keith Falconer, said they were delighted the princess agreed to open the new facility and that the weather had been perfect for the opening event.
He said: “Princess Anne took the time to talk to everybody involved in the process and those from the distillery industry.
“She was very well briefed and very knowledgeable about distilling and the industry and she asked lots of very informed questions.
“She was also very interested in the way we are recycling everything so that the distillery will be very environmentally friendly.”
Mr Falconer said the princess was invited to draw the first bottle of spirit produced at the plant and was delighted to be presented with the bottle, which had been labelled and packaged, before she left.
Adelphi director, Donald Houston, said a key element of the project, since its conception, had been that it should be run by “sustainable, renewable and environmentally benign means”.
He said: “With a great deal of planning and complex design work, we’re proud that we have achieved this objective.
“The distillery represents a significant milestone in the long-term plan for the development and improvement of the socio economics of Ardnamurchan.
“It will provide enormous opportunities for the development of tourism and the direct and indirect provision of jobs in this very remote and isolated part of Scotland.”