GlenWyvis distillery

GlenWyvis distillery
Region: Highland
LocationDingwall
Founded2015
FounderJohn Mckenzie
StatusOperational
No. of stills2 wash stills
2 spirit stills
GlenWyvis
Cask type(s)European Sherry Hogshead
American Oak Refill Hogshead
American Standard Barrel
European Sherry Quarter
European Sherry Firki

57°36′53.359″N 04°27′23.781″W / 57.61482194°N 4.45660583°W / 57.61482194; -4.45660583

Glenwyvis distillery is a Scotch whisky and gin distillery located in Dingwall, Scotland.[1]

The distillery is owned by a group of crowdfunders and is entirely powered by renewable energies like hydro, wind, solar, and chip biomass heating systems. Its name comes from the idea of carrying on old traditions of the past and contemplates two previous distilleries of the area, the Ben Wyvis in Dingwall and the Glenskiach in Evanton. The distillery is not open to the public and does not have a visitor centre at present.[2]

History

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The Glenwyvis distillery was founded in 2015 by John Mckenzie, a farmer, green energy advocate and a commercial helicopter pilot.[3][4][5]

In 2016 a crowdsourced fundraising campaign was launched[6] and in just seventy-seven days more than two thousands persons, of which more than half coming from the same geographical area, offered around £2.6 million.[7]

After a second share offer Glenwyvis the company has over three thousand shareholders.[8]

The distillery itself was built in 2017 on an uphill terrain few miles from the town of Dingwall.[3] (a return of distilling to Dingwall, which has been without a distillery since 1926),[9] with the opening happening on the 30th November 2017 (St. Andrew's Day, the Scottish National Day).[10]

In 2018 Glenwyvis distillery started both whisky and gin production with the lead of master distiller Duncan Tait.[11] After one year, more than five hundred casks were resting onsite.[9][12] In 2018–19, Glenwyvis reached 39248 liters of whisky and 3576 liters of Premium GoodWill gin.[citation needed]

In 2018 GlenWyvis Distillery and the company Geotourist created an app to promote a walking tour experience in Dingwall.[13]

In October 2019 a fire broke out at the woodchip store, reporting limited damage in the wood chip storage, any spread occurred to the boiler or anywhere else.[14]

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland, the distillery held a live online cookery demo from Master Chef Gary Maclean who agreed on creating some delicatessen making use of Goodwill Gin.[15]

Currently, by September 2023, Glenwyvis distillery offers four types of gin, one type of spirit and two 4-year-old single malt whiskies.

Awards

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  • 2019 Scottish Gin Awards: Best Newcomer[16]
  • World Gin Awards 2019: Bronze Medal[17]
  • IWSC Bronze 2019: GlenWyvis GoodWill Gin[18]
  • IWSC Gold 2019: GlenWyvis Christmas GoodWill Spiced Gin[19]
  • 2019 Scottish Rural Awards: Artisan Drink[20]
  • World Gin Awards 2020: Gold Medal[21]
  • IWSC Silver 2020: Cask Matured Goodwill Quercus Alba Gin[22]
  • IWSC Silver 2020: Glenwyvis New Make Spirit[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "New whisky distillery near Dingwall 'a world first'". BBC News. 30 November 2017.
  2. ^ "ROSALIND ERSKINE FINDS OUT HOW A COLLECTIVE OF HIGHLAND LOCALS CREATED SCOTLAND'S FIRST COMMUNITY-OWNED DISTILLERY".
  3. ^ a b "Glenwyvis Community".
  4. ^ "GlenWyvis | Scotch Whisky".
  5. ^ "GlenWyvis".
  6. ^ "Whisky reinvented: how a group of locals created Scotland's first community-owned distillery". www.scotsman.com.
  7. ^ "Glen Wyvis Distillery". Strong Energy. 3 July 2019. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  8. ^ "Whisky distillery review: GlenWyvis Distillery, Dingwall". HeraldScotland. 5 August 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Story".
  10. ^ "Glenwyvis Distillery opens today at St. Andrew's Day". www.whisky.com.
  11. ^ "GlenWyvis Distillery launches new craft gin". 29 June 2018.
  12. ^ "The innovative Scottish gin firms leading the way in drinks industry". 3 August 2020.
  13. ^ "Geotourist and GlenWyvis Distillery create Dingwall walking tour app". 20 April 2018.
  14. ^ "Fire breaks out at Highland gin and whisky Glenwyvis distillery".
  15. ^ "Top chef to give live cookery demo using Dingwall firm's gin". 26 May 2020.
  16. ^ "2019 Scottish Gin Awards". 10 October 2019.
  17. ^ "World Gin Awards 2019". Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  18. ^ "IWSC Bronze 2019: GlenWyvis GoodWill Gin".
  19. ^ "IWSC Gold 2019: GlenWyvis Christmas GoodWill Spiced Gin".
  20. ^ "2019 Scottish Rural Awards". Archived from the original on 12 July 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  21. ^ "World Gin Awards 2020". Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  22. ^ "Cask Matured Goodwill Quercus Alba Gin".
  23. ^ "Glenwyvis New Make Spirit".
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