A NEW whisky distillery is set to join the famous Speyside line up after being given the go ahead by officials.
The distillery, which will include a visitor centre and warehouse, will be built near Grantown, Moray.
It will join the six existing distilleries in the Cairngorms National Park - Dalwhinnie, Glenlivet, Tomintoul, Royal Lochnagar, Balmenach and Speyside.
The parent company of the Benromach distillery in Forres, Gordon & MacPhail, is behind the new venture.
It will have a maximum production capacity of two million litres of spirit - or 100,000 cases of whisky - annually.
The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CPNA) granted planning permission for the new distillery at a meeting in Boat of Garten on Friday, subject to conditions including sustainable transport links.
Eleanor Mackintosh, CNPA Planning Committee convener said: "This is a major development for the area and this will be the first malt whisky distillery to be approved by the Cairngorms National Park Authority since it was established in 2003."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here