New Scottish grain distillery to utilise AD
Plans to create Scotland’s lowest-carbon grain distillery have been approved by planners.
St Boswells Distillery in the Scottish Borders will take local cereals from the surrounding Tweed Valley and process them with renewable energy into the spirit. Once spent, they will be passed to the adjacent anaerobic digestion plant, where they will be converted into methane, with the remaining material used as a soil conditioner for crops.
The site will aim to produce 20 million litres of pure alcohol annually to meet the growing demand for grain whisky for use in Scotch whisky blending and a Scottish grain neutral spirit for gin and vodka.
The approved planning application should facilitate a £46 million (€53 million) investment in the local economy, creating around 200 construction jobs and 20 permanent jobs. The 18-month construction period is scheduled to begin next year, with spirit produced in 2024.
“This is another significant step forward in the process to create the Scottish Borders’ first major grain distillery,” said Trevor Jackson, founder and chief executive of Jackson Distillers, the company behind the St Boswells Distillery.
“We have had great support for our proposals from local stakeholders across the region and have worked closely with the Scottish Borders Council to ensure we created plans that fit into the landscape, present climate change mitigation opportunities and support the local community.
“We are grateful to everyone who has helped us to get to this stage and will continue to work with local stakeholders as we now progress with construction.”
St Boswells Distillery in the Scottish Borders will take local cereals from the surrounding Tweed Valley and process them with renewable energy into the spirit. Once spent, they will be passed to the adjacent anaerobic digestion plant, where they will be converted into methane, with the remaining material used as a soil conditioner for crops.
The site will aim to produce 20 million litres of pure alcohol annually to meet the growing demand for grain whisky for use in Scotch whisky blending and a Scottish grain neutral spirit for gin and vodka.
The approved planning application should facilitate a £46 million (€53 million) investment in the local economy, creating around 200 construction jobs and 20 permanent jobs. The 18-month construction period is scheduled to begin next year, with spirit produced in 2024.
“This is another significant step forward in the process to create the Scottish Borders’ first major grain distillery,” said Trevor Jackson, founder and chief executive of Jackson Distillers, the company behind the St Boswells Distillery.
“We have had great support for our proposals from local stakeholders across the region and have worked closely with the Scottish Borders Council to ensure we created plans that fit into the landscape, present climate change mitigation opportunities and support the local community.
“We are grateful to everyone who has helped us to get to this stage and will continue to work with local stakeholders as we now progress with construction.”
