Scotland's whisky makers are reshaping a traditional industry

Two Edinburgh founders have opened the UK's first vertical distillery in Leith, combining traditional Scotch techniques with research-led innovation; the Port of Leith Distillery says its first single malt will mature in 2028.

Edinburgh's Port of Leith Distillery has joined Scotland's whisky sector with a distinctive nine-storey building on the Leith harbourside described as the UK's first vertical distillery. Scotland's Scotch whisky industry includes around 152 distilleries, contributed £7.1bn to the UK economy in 2022 and had exports worth £5.4bn in 2024, with about 41,000 people employed and an estimated 22 million casks maturing in warehouses. The distillery was founded by lifelong friends Ian Stirling and Paddy Fletcher after they returned to Edinburgh and combined experience from the drinks trade and business. The founders say the modern building and vertical layout reflect an intention to blend heritage with new approaches. Key details: - The Port of Leith Distillery occupies a nine-storey, black corrugated steel building on Leith harbourside and uses a vertical production process with milling and mashing at the top and distillation on the ground floor. - Ian Stirling and Paddy Fletcher launched the business after noting there was no working whisky distillery in their home city; they used local entrepreneurial networks and business support to establish the project. - The company received funding and support from Innovate UK and partnered with Heriot-Watt University's International Centre for Brewing and Distilling through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership for applied research. - A three-year research project examined the effects of different yeast types and reported that brewer's yeast produced more intense and varied flavour profiles compared with the commonly used distiller's yeast. - The distillery plans its first single malt to mature in 2028; in the meantime it has released a Table Whisky that was distilled elsewhere in Edinburgh and matured in old sherry casks. - The business has developed local supply chains, opened a second Leith site producing a London dry gin called Lind & Lime, shipped nearly 100,000 gin bottles to 24 markets last year, and attracted more than 30,000 guided-tour visitors with support from Brand Scotland partners. Summary: Port of Leith brings research-led techniques and local partnerships into a well-established Scottish sector that supports significant employment and export value. The distillery's yeast research and focus on local ingredients are presented as ways to develop new flavour profiles, and the first single malt is scheduled to mature in 2028.