Islay’s Port Ellen Distillery moves step closer to revival

Plans to bring the Port Ellen Distillery on Islay back to life have been formally submitted to local authorities.

The detailed planning application setting out proposals that will see the famous “silent distillery” relaunch some 35 years after it was closed have been filed with Argyll & Bute Council, following community engagement and pre-application consultation with key stakeholders.

In 2017, Diageo announced a £35 million investment programme to bring back Port Ellen and the Brora distillery in Sutherland.

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 under one roof.

The buildings have gone through many changes since the distillery opened in 1824, with the site 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 sea-front warehouses will be restored as integral parts of the revived distillery, with a new stillhouse created to house distillation.

Georgie Crawford, the master distiller leading the project, said: “This is another hugely significant milestone on our journey to bring Port Ellen Distillery back to life.

“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.”