Charity Historic Environment Scotland, which has held responsibility for the site since the late 1980s, said the distillery will be run by Aceo Distillers, a cask whisky broker and distillery services provider. The 25-year-old company will oversee a “phased programme of development” at Dallas Dhu, which is Gaelic for ‘black water valley’ and located about 30 miles east of Inverness.
Details about the level of investment required as well as a planned restart date were not disclosed.
Constructed in 1899, the distillery produced whisky for the Roderick Dhu blended scotch brand until its closure in 1983. Since then, the site has been open to the public as a museum run by Historic Environment Scotland.
“The aim is to breathe life back into the distillery by first getting the original equipment working and traditional whisky distilling going once again,” said Aceo’s MD, Edward Odim. “This revived, long-lost spirit will be matured in Dallas Dhu’s well-preserved Victorian dunnage warehouses.
“The plan is for a state-of-the-art visitor centre with exhibition and museum space and a café/restaurant … . As well as show how whisky is made, we intend to tell the social and economic story – past and present – of whisky production in Speyside.”
Earlier this year, Diageo recommenced operations at Islay’s Port Ellen distillery, which was also mothballed in 1983.
