Whisky production started at the new Dunphail Distillery

After a 18-month construction phase, the first new make came out of the stills at Dunphail Distillery on 6th October 2023. Meanwhile, the distillery in Morayshire/Speyside has reached full production size, which means an amount of 200,000 litres of alcohol per year.

The Dunphail Distillery was built on the site of a former farm and operates using traditional techniques, which include direct firing of the stills as well as on-site floor-malting and drying in a kiln. It is the first time since 1898 that new malting floors have been built on Speyside. The intention is to produce both smoky and non-smoky whisky.

A lifelong dream became true

Dariusz Plazewski, founder and Master Distiller of Dunphail Distillery, said: "It has long been my calling to produce whisky that has been shaped by the richness of distilling heritage. At Dunphail we’re taking a extremely detailed approach to our whisky making – combining our knowledge and deep passion to ensure that everything we do is driven by the fundamentals of flavour and quality.

Constructing the distillery over the last 18 months has been both a lifelong dream and one of the biggest challenges of my career. But that time and effort has been well worth it – our first batch of new make spirit is simply astonishing and unlike anything I’ve tasted to date. It is incredibly fat and fruity and already packed full of the personality derived from our traditional production processes. I’m looking forward to sharing it and working with my team to shape it into a truly extraordinary Speyside whisky over the years to come.”

Tours and tastings

A visitor centre and distillery shop invite visitors to experience Dunphail Distillery. Although there is of course no whisky produced at the distillery itself yet, tastings are already on offer: With the Dava Way series, Dunphail offers whiskies as an independent bottler produced at different Scottish distilleries.

Pictures: Dunphail Distillery