The first single malt whisky distillery in Edinburgh for almost 100 years is giving buyers the chance to customise the flavour of their dram – provided they have at least £4,500 to spend.
The £6.7 million Holyrood Distillery, due to open in July, is making 100 casks available for sale with buyers having a ‘flavour consultation’ with head distiller Dr Jack Mayo and co-founder David Robertson to determine factors such as how long the barley is dried and roasted, which yeasts are used for fermentation and the type of cask for maturation.
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Three barrel types are available – a barrel (200 litres), a hogshead (250 litres) and a butt (500 litres) at £4,500, £5,500 and £10,500 respectively. The cost includes flavour consultation, whisky creation, the cask, storage for ten years, sampling, insurance, labelling and bottling.
Robertson, whose career in the industry has included a spell as master distiller at The Macallan, said:“Normally, if you invest in buying a cask of whisky from a distillery you are limited to their spirit perhaps with a choice of one or two cask types.
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"But we’re flipping things on their head and giving buyers the chance to design the flavour. By working with me and Jack, they can have a hand in each step of the whisky’s journey and be in control of shaping how the whisky tastes.”
The distillery is focusing on four core flavours – smoky, spicy, sweet and fruity/floral.
The last working distillery in the capital was the Edinburgh Distillery – also known as Glen Sciennes - which closed in 1925.
