£6m Glenachulish Distillery gains planning approval

The £6 million project, with a shop and café, will create 7 permanent, year-round jobs and bring whisky-making back to this part of the Highlands.

Glenachulish will create a suite of single malt whiskies in small batches that explore the full range of flavour possible in distillation, fermentation and maturation processes. Visitors will be able to watch the spirit being made, with the stills displayed through windows facing the loch.

Whisky was once made all through these glens, in small stills using local barley and water. Glenachulish wants to bring that back as a living local trade, not just a place to visit, but a place where the skills of whisky-making are learned, worked, and passed on again.

The café and terrace look over Loch Leven, along with tasting rooms and a community space for local groups and events.

Designed by Collective Architecture, the buildings are a group of simple, dark-clad forms in metal and timber. Three chimney forms rise from the roofline, echoing both the Three Sisters of Glencoe and the three stills at work inside. Recruitment and training will focus on local people, with jobs across distilling, hospitality and the visitor experience.

The team hopes the benefits will reach several local communities, including Ballachulish and Kinlochleven, whose industrial pasts were built on slate and aluminium. The project is expected to support an estimated 30 further jobs in the wider local economy.

The development will be built in two phases. Construction of the first phase is expected to start on site in 2027, with production starting in 2028.

A spokesperson for Glenachulish Distillery said: “Every whisky carries the imprint of its makers and the place where its story begins — we want to put Glenachulish firmly on the Scottish whisky trail while bringing jobs and prosperity to our local community.

“Our ambition is to create a distillery with a distinct identity and charm that gives people another reason to visit, stay and explore the area, while offering a truly memorable visitor experience. The project will create permanent job opportunities, with the hope that the next generation of distillers and industry professionals will come from this community.

“We’re incredibly grateful for all the support we’ve received throughout the planning application process, and to everyone who took the time to share their views, which have helped shape the proposals. We look forward to moving into the next stage of the project and, ultimately, opening the doors and letting the place speak for itself.”