Coleburn Distillery prepares for return with visionary Whisk…

Here’s something that’ll warm the cockles of any Speyside enthusiast’s heart – Coleburn is finally awakening from its four-decade slumber. This Charles Doig-designed gem, which first fired up in 1899 before being mothballed in 1985, is getting the revival treatment it deserves.

The folks at D&M Winchester Ltd have made some serious moves here, bringing in Keith Cruickshank as master distiller – and if that name doesn’t ring bells, it should. This is the man who spent 27 years crafting liquid gold at Benromach, including being part of the team that brought that distillery back from the dead in 1998. Born and bred in Speyside (literally in the town that bears his surname), Keith’s got the kind of pedigree and regional understanding you simply can’t buy.

What’s particularly exciting is the scale of ambition here. We’re not talking about a simple distillery restart – they’re planning what they’re calling a “world-class whisky and hospitality centre.” Organic Architects are handling the design work, blending Doig’s original Victorian bones with contemporary sustainable practices. The vision includes whisky lodges, a pagoda penthouse, and bistro facilities, creating what sounds like a proper whisky resort experience.

The numbers are impressive too – they’re targeting one million litres annually once operational, with construction kicking off shortly and completion slated for 2027. That’s not small-scale boutique production; that’s serious Speyside volume.

Cruickshank’s clearly approaching this with the respect the site deserves, talking about “time-honoured methods” and developing a spirit that reflects both Coleburn’s character and the broader Speyside terroir. Given his track record at Benromach, where he learned under industry veteran Bob Murray, there’s real reason for optimism about what’ll eventually emerge from those stills.

It’s another chapter in Speyside’s ongoing renaissance, and frankly, it’s about time this sleeping giant got its due.