MIDFEARN DISTILLERY TO COME UP IN THE HIGHLANDS
A malt whisky distillery has been proposed for a site on a Highlands estate on the Dornoch Firth.
Outline plans for the site on Midfearn Estate at Easter Fearn, three miles south east of the village of Ardgay, where whisky was first produced more than 200 years ago, have been submitted with Highland Council.
Midfearn Distillery Company Ltd requires a public consultation on its proposal. The Proposal of Application Notice has been submitted to Highland Council’s planning department, with a public consultation launched letting the local community comment on the proposals. This included an initial face-to-face consultation event held at Edderton Village Hall on 1 December 2021 and a virtual consultation on 20 January this year.
The site is believed to be where a local businessman, George Ross, produced whisky in 1798. Midfearn Estate already provides electricity from wind and hydro power projects and this energy source forms an important element of the distillery’s development.
The 5260-hectare (~13,000-acre) Midfearn Estate has been in the Brooke family since 1893. The current owner, Charlie Brooke, felt that the new distillery would be an "important development in providing employment and economic benefit to the wider community". He added: “This is a family business that will build and grow this enterprise on a beautiful site within the Dornoch Firth National Scenic Area and we look forward to working with the local community to return whisky-making to Easter Fearn.”
There are currently 47 whisky distilleries spread across the Highlands and Scottish islands, according to Visit Scotland. Dornoch Firth is on the east coast of the Highlands, and has miles of white sand beaches. It’s also known for its local lore, which says that fairies once crossed the Firth on cockle shells and were seen building a fairy bridge of gold from shore to shore.
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