New whisky distillery set to open in John O’Groats

A local husband and wife team behind the plans have secured permission.

3rd Mar 2020

Mainland Scotland’s most northerly whisky distillery is set to open in John O’Groats after planning permission was secured.

The micro distillery, set to open in 2021, will be housed on a 32,670 square foot site which will also include a visitor centre and bonded warehouse.

Known as End Of The Line, it will have the capacity to produce up to 60,000 litres of whisky a year and will be the first in John O’Groats since 1837.

Husband and wife, Derek and Kerry Campbell , are behind the new distillery after securing £198,000 of funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

It is estimated six new jobs, including a master whisky maker and visitor centre manager, will be created during the first year.

Founder Kerry Campbell said: “After many conversations with my husband around the idea of building our own distillery and creating our own whisky, I’m delighted that we are now one step closer to making these plans a reality having secured planning permission on our dream site.

“The support we have received from the local community and business owners to date has been fantastic and we can’t wait to welcome them to our distillery in 2021.”

Keith Muir, HIE’s head of business growth for Caithness and Sutherland, said: “Tourism and food and drink are two key industries in Caithness, and this project features both.

“We particularly welcome the improvement it will make to the look and feel of the John O’Groats end of the road attraction, in bringing a long disused site back into productive use.”