Islay’s eleventh whisky distillery, Elixir, is set to open in 2023 near the town of Port Ellen.
With plans first announced in 2018, the newest distillery is predicted to produce over one million litres of whisky a year.
It is a dream come true for founders and brothers Sukhinder and Rajbir Singh, who have been visiting the beautiful island for 25-years. They have worked with Argyll and Bute Council to ensure the distillery fits in with the coastal landscape and island community.
The £30m project joins the likes of iconic distilleries Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg and will see modern twists to a fairly traditional design.
Creating 15 jobs on the island, the distillery will also offer an apprenticeship programme for aspiring distillers and plans to help with the island’s housing crisis by building 16 new homes.
In addition, the company plans to set up a charitable fund to contribute annually to the Islay Community Council, with the council deciding how the funds are spent.
Having suffered drastically due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Scotch whisky industry is now on a slow road to recovery, with whisky exports surging by £4.1 billion during 2021.
Elixir hopes to add to this in 2023 and has its sights set on boosting the economy of the island by creating more jobs and housing on the island, and attracting more visitors.
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