At a public consultation held at Ramsay Hall in Port Ellen, Islay, on the 25th May Mr Singh, who is also the founder of The Whisky Exchange, confirmed the firm's intentions to build a new distillery on the island.
Having secured a piece of land on the water’s edge near Port Ellen on Islay’s south coast, a planning application will soon be submitted following the public consultation.
The current intention is to begin building early 2019 and begin distilling in 2020, as long as planning permission is granted.
Singh explains: “Some of the world’s most amazing drams come from Islay. Their unique style combined with the special character of the island meant there was never any question that we wouldn’t choose Islay to build our distillery. As soon as I saw the distillery site I fell in love with it.
"It’s on the holy grail of whisky roads, passing Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg distilleries on the way to Kidalton Cross.
"Plus it’s in the town of Port Ellen, which as a collector of Port Ellen single malt, has a special meaning. It was just too good to resist.”
The news follows announcements by whisky company Hunter Laing, who intend to build Ardnahoe Distillery on the island, and French distiller Jean Donnay, whose Gartbreck project which was supposed to also be built on Islay, seems to have stalled in its infancy.
