In 2013 I began progressing the reinstatement of whisky distilling at Dingwall on my farm and GlenWyvis Distillery formed as a farm diversification project.
In June 2023 I will be telling my story of the first 10 years of the project I started and why I chose to sell to a new landlord
Included with the unique, bespoke, architect-designed GlenWyvis Farmhouse, the property extends to all buildings, a hydro scheme, wind turbine and solar array.
Extending to 30 acres across 17 fields, Scroggie Farm comes with the unique benefit of being landlord to GlenWyvis Distillery, including rights within the Dingwall Whisky Distillery Trust (DWDT) and intellectual property and assets.
Outline Planning permissions currently exists for a farm shop, conversion of cow shed to bonded warehouse and two further options for warehouses.
GlenWyvis Distillery project was completed and production started in the first quarter of 2018. John passed the Managing Director baton to a new team on 31st March 2019 and later stepped down as a Director in September 2019. He continues as distillery landlord with rent remaining at £1.
GlenWyvis suffered a fire in October 2019 and continues to recover production.
John is currently instrumental in establishing the Dingwall Whisky Trust to oversee land management and other local aspects involving the links between his farm and the distillery.
All queries in relation to the distillery should be sent to info@glenwyvis.com
Due to ongoing planning restrictions, distillery tours and visits are not permitted but virtual tours are available online GlenWyvis Tours/. Plans for a Visitor Centre in Dingwall were mooted but it's unclear if the new board will proceed with this idea. GlenWyvis products can still be purchased in many local shops including at Highland Farm Cafe.
For over 10 years John has been visiting the distilleries of Scotland, when a chance meeting with renowned whisky guide Ronnie Berri planted a seed that was to reveal so much about the history of whisky from his home town. Now, after almost two years of diligent planning, late night meetings and hundreds of emails, we've finally reached a point of realisation. It's happening!
The GlenWyvis Community Share Offer has opened to the public, and you are invited to invest in the future of a truly unique enterprise. It's been a challenging and exciting journey so far but it looks like the hard work is finally paying off. We've got the backing of local government but more importantly, the backing of locals! Check the GlenWyvis news page for the latest developments.
The Distillery has been named GlenWyvis. The name was chosen as it combines John's family history from Evanton & Dingwall. The former distilleries at Evanton and Dingwall were called Glenskiach & Ben Wyvis; the name GlenWyvis builds on the history in the area with a fresh new name.
It is hoped that production will start in late 2016 and the first whisky available from 2020.
John and his architect William Reynolds are in talks with the local planning department to create a learning hub on the farm; this would create an interactive, educational area publicly accessible through the summer and form part of the Distillery tours.
