Uile-bheist opened in 2023 on Ness Bank in Inverness, on the River Ness in the city centre, as the first new distillery built in Inverness in around 130 years. Jon and Victoria run the business, which combines a working distillery and brewery - what they call a 'brewstillery' - with a taproom and restaurant on site. Stills built by German coppersmiths Kaspar Schulz produce whisky and gin, while the brewery turns out a small core range of craft beers; the taproom also stocks a wide selection of whiskies from elsewhere in Scotland. The building draws heat from the River Ness through a water-source heat pump and generates some of its own electricity from solar panels, cutting the carbon cost of production by an estimated 250 tonnes a year across the site and neighbouring buildings. The name is Scottish Gaelic for 'monster' and nods to Loch Ness folklore, with branding by Melbourne-based designer Ken Taylor. It operates as a single independent, family-owned site rather than part of a larger drinks group.
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