Funds secured by Cabrach Trust to begin building distillery and heritage centre
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FUNDING is now in place to breathe new life into the depopulated Cabrach through a distillery and heritage centre celebrating the area's role in the birth of malt whisky.
Moves to regenerate the area have been driven by the Cabrach Trust, who this week confirmed it has secured the £3.5 million needed to move its central project forward.
The Cabrach Distillery and Heritage Centre will showcase the craft and alchemy behind Scotland's national drink while telling the region's fascinating story.
The distillery and traditional dunnage warehouse will be housed within restored steadings at Inverharroch Farm, the trust's base. An additional two wings will be allocated for the heritage centre, a community bistro, tasting room and visitor reception.
Operated as a social enterprise, the distillery will have at its roots historic methods which reflect the production of malt whisky from the 1800s when "real Cabrach whisky" was widely acclaimed. The bottled product will eventually be available for sale, generating profits as part of the trust's long-term sustainability plan.
Grant Gordon OBE, founder and chairman of the Cabrach Trust, said: "Our vision is to regenerate the Cabrach as a thriving, sustainable community.
"Having secured funding for this project represents a critical milestone for the trust and we look forward to embarking on this exciting next chapter in the Cabrach's story."
Jonathan Christie, trust chief executive, said: "With the build commencing early in the New Year, we look forward to sharing progress as our one-of-a-kind social enterprise unfolds, whilst launching several other exciting projects all poised to go live in 2022.
"The Cabrach Distillery and Heritage Centre is central to our regeneration plans and the long-term sustainability of this important community."
The Cabrach was a once thriving community of more than 1000 people and a legendary haunt of rebellious Jacobites, illicit distillers and smugglers. The devastation wrought by the first and second world wars triggered a spiral of depopulation and decline.
Today fewer than 100 people call the Cabrach home.
The project represents the cornerstone of the trust's transformational masterplan for the Cabrach, which will not only bring jobs to the area, but attract thousands of visitors every year.
The Ethos Foundation, a principal funder of the Cabrach Trust, has pledged its support to the project, alongside capital grants from the William Grant Foundation and the Vattenfall Clashindarroch Wind Farm Community Fund.
Rothes-based Forsyths, one of the world leaders in the supply of distillation equipment, is also contributing considerably. The Bently Foundation awarded a significant grant to the project this year.
Moray MSP Richard Lochhead said: "It is widely believed that the Cabrach is the birthplace of Scotch whisky and plans for a new distillery and heritage centre are not only fitting but also hugely exciting.
"This project will undoubtedly put the Cabrach on the map and I'm delighted this funding has been secured."
Moray MP Douglas Ross said: "As well as adding to the local economy, and hopefully attracting further investment, this project will create much-needed job opportunities and support more young people to live and work in the area.
"The trust's vision to regenerate this rural community is very welcome, supporting a sustainable future for the Cabrach. I am very much looking forward to watching these plans progress and offer my support for this great project."
Nick Addington, chief executive of the William Grant Foundation, added: "The new community-owned facility will celebrate and showcase the contribution of this special place and the people who lived there to Speyside and Scotland's whisky heritage, and contribute to its sustainable future."
With an award-winning design team appointed, led by Collective Architecture, funding secured, and planning approval in place, enabling works on site are expected to get under way in February 2022.
The new distillery and heritage centre are expected to be ready to welcome visitors in spring 2023.
