3 days ago
New Scottish distillery officially opens - bringing whisky-making back to riverside region
The event was headlined by a special appearance from Robert Robertson and Fergus Munro from the popular Scottish band Tidelines, who had the honour of cutting the ceremonial ribbon to formally open the distillery.
Guests were piped through to the ribbon-cutting by Callan MacEachern, son of the distillery's founders, adding a heartfelt, family touch to the day's festivities.
Levenbank Distillery is the latest venture from husband-and-wife team Euan and Fiona MacEachern, the passionate owners of the multi award-winning Loch Lomond Brewery.
Drawing on their deep expertise in brewing, the MacEacherns are bringing a unique flavour-forward approach to whisky-making, creating bold, characterful spirit from day one.
This has been a dream in the making for a long time," said Euan MacEachern. "With our background in brewing, we've always believed that the foundations of great whisky are laid in the early stages of production. We're excited to bring that philosophy to life here at Levenbank."
Although the official ribbon-cutting has taken place, Levenbank had already begun distilling earlier this year.
Graeme Macdiarmid, Euan MacEachern, Robert Robertson, Fergus Munro, George Wotherspoon
At the event, a number of investors had the opportunity to sign or fill the casks they'd purchased, cementing their personal connection to the distillery's journey from the very beginning.
'This isn't just the start of a distillery, it's the start of a community,' added Fiona MacEachern. 'We're incredibly grateful to everyone who's supported us, from family and friends to our investors and local partners.'
Levenbank Distillery looks forward to welcoming visitors in the coming months, sharing its journey as the spirit matures.
Levenbank Distillery is the Lowland's newest whisky distillery, located in Dumbarton near the banks of the River Leven.
Founded by Fiona and Euan MacEachern, the visionary team behind the acclaimed Loch Lomond Brewery, are bringing a fresh approach to whisky-making by blending traditional distilling methods with a brewer's expertise, creating a range of innovative, flavour-forward spirits.
With over a decade of brewing excellence, Fiona and Euan have garnered recognition for beers like the multiple award-winning 'Silkie Stout.' They will now use their expert understanding of malt and yeast to explore how using different malting levels and yeast strains can affect the flavour profile of whisky.
Levenbank's experimental ethos includes utilising specialty malts such as crystal and chocolate malts, traditionally reserved for brewing, to impart complex flavours to their whiskies. This approach challenges conventional whisky production methods, placing a greater emphasis on the new make spirit's intrinsic character alongside cask maturation.
Also creating a range of innovative single grain whiskies, Levenbank will adapt recipes from robust beer styles such as imperial stouts, barleywines, and wee heavies to provide the wash from which they will then distil.
