Diageo has submitted a proposal for its Talisker scotch whisky distillery on the western island of Skye that would see the current facility be demolished.
The plans, submitted to the local authority late last week, indicate the group’s intention to increase production for the single malt “with the construction of a new distillery”. Once the new distillery has been commissioned, Diageo said it would then demolish the existing facility.
“As a business, we continually review our production footprint in support of our long-term growth ambitions for scotch,” a spokesperson said. “The Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) for Talisker Distillery allows us to explore and evaluate potential options.
“A public consultation will form part of the PAN, however at this point in time we have no firm plans for investment. Details of the public consultation arrangements will be shared in due course where the community will be able to view these proposals and provide feedback.”
Two public events have been scheduled for 14 November and 16 January at the distillery to collate local opinions.
Earlier this year, Ian Macleod Distillers started work on building a new distillery on nearby Islay, the island’s 12th., in partnership with bottler The Islay Boys. Two months earlier, Diageo restarted production at its Port Ellen distillery on Islay, 41 years after the single malt site was closed.
