Newest distillery in smallest Scottish whisky region celebrates 'dream to reality' moment
Planning permission for the distillery was granted in 2023 but it has taken almost two years to get to the stage of being able to get 'shovels in the ground.'
The directors behind this new distillery - one of three set to open in Scotland's smallest whisky region - are Iain Croucher, Ronnie Grant & David Stirk.
The idea for Dal Riata came about when Ronnie and Iain were walking past what was Kinloch distillery in 2021. Having wanted to build a distillery in Campbeltown, they jumped at the chance to buy land near this former site.
Ronnie Grant said: 'Whilst planning permission was subsequently granted in 2023, obtaining building warrants is like maturing a fine malt and takes a wee while longer.
'But as we all know, good things are worth waiting for and on 5th June 2025, Argyll & Bute Council gave their approval for shovels to go into the ground. The Dál Riata Distillery will no longer be a dream; it will be reality!
'There is no better whisky town in Scotland than Campbeltown. We are getting to add to the wee toon's rich distilling history with the creation of our own distillery Dál Riata'
Iain Croucher, owner of three-time winning Independent Scotch Whisky Bottler of the Year brand North Star Spirits is equally enthusiastic about the area. He said: 'Campbeltown is magnificent in just about every way, I holiday here twice a year with my wife and kids. Just so happens it's also my favourite Scotch Whisky region'
The name Dál Riata is derived from the ancient kingdom that existed on the Western coast of Scotland and Northeast Ireland between the 6th and 9th Centuries.
The Dál Raita Distillery will not be a modest operation. With a planned capacity of 850,000 litres of pure alcohol per year it will also be accompanied by a bottling company and extensive warehousing. It will also bring employment to an area that is starting to see a whisky renaissance.
With planning permission and building warrant approval now granted, work on the site is scheduled to commence before the end of the year and another chapter of Campbelltown's remarkable whisky story will start to be written.
Known in the 19th Century as the "Whisky Metropolis", Campbeltown once had over 30 distilleries, thanks to its natural harbour, nearby access to coal and proximity to Glasgow's blending houses.
However, by the 1920s, Campbeltown's whisky industry declined due to American Prohibition changing consumer tastes, and economic downturns caused by The Great War. Many distilleries closed, leaving only two survivors in the 1930s.
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