The Cairn

Innovative Lowland distillery with focus on distilling seasonal flavours.

After spending 40 years in the Scotch whisky industry ( Invergordon , Glen Turner, Glen Moray , Starlaw ), Ian Palmer foresaw significant growth in single malt leading to issues for blenders and brand owners looking for more security over their whisky supply. He saw a gap in the market for a distillery that could produce bulk single malt for these third party brands. His vision for a £10 million, technologically advanced and energy efficient distillery that focuses on extracting maximum flavour, was soon backed by a private family investment group. A government grant of £1.7m plus an injection from Palmer’s own pocket got the project off the ground swiftly, and rather silently in industry terms. In 2011, Palmer and his anonymous investors established John Fergus & Co as the holding company, and work began to build InchDairnie in 2014. Stills were ordered from Italian coppersmith, Frilli, and the entire project was complete in just 18 months. Distilling began at the site in December 2015, although its official launch was unveiled in May 2016. Until its own single malt has matured for at least a decade, InchDairnie will provide fillings for Macduff International’s blends, which include Grand Macnish, Lauder’s and Islay Mist. Palmer’s designs for the distillery include plans to expand at a later stage, in line with an anticipated growth in demand for single malt and blends, so InchDairnie can accommodate demand for fillings, as well as its own whisky.