Port of Leith has appointed a head of whisky, as it prepares to turn on the stills and open its doors to the public.
Vaibhav Sood, previously operations manager at The Lakes Distillery, has taken on the newly-created role, marking a milestone for the £13m, nine-storey distillery, which is due to open later this year.
As well as tours, tastings and a top floor bar, Port of Leith Distillery will produce up to one million bottles of whisky per year, using locally-grown barley, years of research into yeast and fermentation, and casks procured from Spain, Portugal and the US.
Anticipated figures indicate that the distillery will attract 25,000 visitors in its first year, with projections rising to 160,000 annual visitors by 2025.
“Joining the iconic Scotch whisky industry was always a dream of mine, and immersing myself in a distillation process as unique as Port of Leith is already proving to be an incredible experience,“ commented Sood.
“Alongside getting to work with such a dedicated, passionate and forward thinking team, I’m honoured to be leading in all aspects of whisky making as we work towards bringing our new world class single malt to people across the globe.”
His role is just one of 50 jobs that will be created by the distillery in the coming year.
Paddy Fletcher, co-founder of Port of Leith Distillery, said: “Vaibhav’s appointment is a huge step forward for us as we look towards starting production in the next couple of months.
“Already, he has been instrumental in streamlining elements of our production process, spearheading our wood management program and recruiting for our whisky operations team and we look forward to his input in creating our exceptional new wave whisky.”
The distillery is the latest long-term investment in Leith by co-owners and friends Ian Stirling and Paddy Fletcher, following the opening of the Lind & Lime Gin Distillery in May 2022; a brand they launched in 2018 from a small industrial unit.
The gin production plan - which is powered by 100% green electricity - has since welcomed more than 6,000 visitors to its tasting, bottling and cocktail-making tours, with numbers set to increase to a forecasted 15,000 visitors annually this year.
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