Scotland’s smallest distillery is up for grabs and its owners believe it is the first time a distillery has been offered for sale on the open market.
Within 24 hours of Loch Ewe Distillery being marketed on Monday, it had already attracted interest from around the world including Japan, America and Europe.
The distillery opened in 2006 and was the brainchild of whisky expert John Clotworthy, who runs the Drumchork Lodge Hotel Aultbea, Wester Ross, with his wife Frances Oates.
Mr Clotworthy had a dream to open and run his own distillery and that dream became a reality when the old garage behind the hotel was transformed into a distillery “in a cave”.
Mrs Oates said: “It would appear that this is the first time a distillery has been offered for sale on the open market. Within 24 hours there have been inquiries from around the world.”
She added: “The distillery has been in operation since June 20 2006 and it has been kept unique by continuing to distill by hand using 18th century methods and producing one smugglers cask (1 gallon) per distillation.
“The distillery was created to highlight the illicit distilling methods still being used in Wester Ross in the late 20th century and it was built to resemble the famous etching of the Highland whisky still by Robert Graves, commissioned for the Duke of Wellington in 1842.”
It is hoped that the new owners would continue with the historical methods of hands on distilling but with the 12 bedroom lodge and development land being included in the sale, there is scope for the prospective owner to increase distilling capabilities and bring the distillery into line with all other distilleries in the country.
Loch Ewe is the smallest distillery in Scotland and the only distillery to produce single malt from an illicit-sized small still.
Mrs Oates said it was very difficult to name a price for the distillery, as nothing similar has ever been sold before, but she hopes to attract offers in the region of £750,000, however she added that it could end up going for much more or less.