Distillery due to open this year bringing jobs boost

The Falkirk Distillery is due to open this year after three years of construction. Picture: Michael Gillen

The Falkirk Distillery Company is in the latter stages of constructing its development at Salmon Inn Road, Polmont and hopes to open it to the public by October at the latest, after first gaining planning permission back in 2009.

Customers will have to wait a while for a real Falkirk whisky, however, as you cannot call a spirit a whisky until it has been distilled for three years.

The firm will be selling its product after a month – a lowland malt – but it will be called a ‘new spirit’ to start with.

The public will also be able to tour the facility to view the distilling process and once complete, the distillery will provide 86 full-time jobs.

Brother and sister directors Alan and Fiona Stewart hope Falkirk Distillery will draw around 75,000 visitors per year, adding to the district’s other landmark attractions such as the Falkirk Wheel and the Kelpies.

Distillery consultant George Stewart said: “It’s been a long time to get here but we have made sure we are getting it right.

“We have had great support from the bigger players in the whisky who have offered their whiskies to sell and since the signs have went up we’ve had a lot of interest about jobs.”