Glenrothes distillery marks first decade with major investment announcement

InchDairnie Distillery’s developments will enable it to increase its capacity from two to four million litres of alcohol per year, and prepare it for switching from natural gas to 100% green hydrogen for distillation.

It is planning two new additional stills and four on-site warehouses, with land secured for a further 14, plus three new washbacks to support its 24/7 production.

The expansion includes InchDairnie preparing for the conversion to green hydrogen from natural gas, set to reduce the carbon footprint of the distillery by an estimated 35%. Achieved through the installation of a new Bosch Hydrogen Ready boiler, it is expected that Scottish Power will begin to supply green hydrogen in 2027.

The expansion comes as the distiller aims to meet future demand for its sought-after spirit - on the back of its release last year of the award-winning RyeLaw, further releases are set to follow the debut Scottish Rye whisky in 2025.

Scott Sneddon, managing director, said: “Whisky is a long-term business, and the developments we are announcing are all part of the meticulous planning and long-term viewpoint that can be seen throughout our business decision-making since our beginning in 2015.

“The doubling of capacity is a bold move, but one that ensures we are set to meet the increased growth in demand for our products that we predict will come as more and more discover our innovative whiskies and full flavours.”

Ian Palmer, founder and chairman, added: “The installation of the new infrastructure at the distillery is testament to the quality of spirit that we are producing, and have done for a decade. Demand from industry partners for our new-make liquid has been high, and the response we have had to our first release, RyeLaw, unveiled last year has been both satisfying and humbling.”