Plans have been announced for a new malt distillery on the historic Hopetoun Estate near Queensferry.
A planning application has been submitted to West Lothian Council for the development at Midhope, 12 miles west of the city of Edinburgh.
The contemporary distillery is to be positioned within a carefully designed landscape drawing inspiration from historic features. Immediately adjacent to the distillery site is the striking Midhope Castle, a 16th century tower house which is presently an empty shell.
It is intended that the distillery development will lead to a longer-term project involving the significant restoration and return to use of Midhope Castle and its immediate grounds.
Hopetoun Estate has a long tradition of growing and supplying malting barley for the Scotch Whisky industry and the new distillery would use exclusively estate-grown barley. It would also reflect the estate’s commitment to environmental sustainability.
A spokesperson for the Midhope Castle Distillery Company said:
“We will set out to design and build a distillery that makes great whisky while addressing sustainability through every element of its architecture, its construction and its operation.
“With an innovative approach across the board we would aim to reduce our production carbon footprint to the absolute minimum, if not to zero.
“We believe that this approach goes hand in hand with producing a distinctive and characterful single malt Scotch Whisky capable of reflecting the qualities and traditions of one of Scotland’s great historic estates.”
The project architects are the Edinburgh-based 56three Architects and the overall project management is being delivered by the Edinburgh office of Currie & Brown.
