Historic Castletown mill conversion to start in spring
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Work to convert a historic mill on the outskirts of Castletown is set to get under way in May after Highland Council granted the project a building warrant.
The local authority's decision delighted mill owners Martin and Claire Murray, who want to turn the property into a whisky distillery and visitor centre.
The estimated cost of the development is around £4 million and it is expected to create 12 jobs. Tenders will go out soon with the conversion work due to start in about three months' time. Planning permission has already been granted.
Mr Murray, who with his wife runs the award-winning Dunnet Bay Distillers, pointed out that King Charles – a regular visitor to Caithness and the nearby Castle of Mey – once said he "could not bear to see the Castletown Mill become more and more deteriorated".
Mr Murray said the building will become the home for Stannergill Whisky, the latest addition to the company's portfolio which includes its Rock Rose gin and Holy Grass vodka. It is hoped the building could be a significant location on the Highland whisky trail and on the popular North Coast 500 route.
He said: "The heritage of the building grounds the new Stannergill Whisky in the character of its location. Locals remember working and living in the building and King Charles once said he ‘could not bear to see the Castletown Mill become more and more deteriorated.’ Exciting times are ahead and I am particularly pleased that we are able to show that historic buildings can be given a new life."
Andrea Wise, founder and director of Organic Architects, said: "Our architects and designers have beautiful plans to revitalise the building. It is made from local Caithness stone, which makes it particularly robust as befits a local distillery which will hopefully occupy the building for generations to come."
She added: "We want to see Castletown Mill flourish again not only as a whisky distillery but also as a visitor destination to be enjoyed. The former grain mill is prominent alongside the route of the North Coast 500, yet it has lain empty for decades. It has a heroic scale, it contains impressive large internal volumes which would never be built in a new distillery."
Mr Murray hopes a contractor can be appointed by the spring with the distillery in operation by August 2024 – 10 years after he and Claire started Dunnet Bay Distillers.
The building, unused for well over 50 years, will house not only two stills for the whisky distillery but also a café, kitchen and a visitor centre which will feature the history of the mill and an event space to accommodate a variety of functions. The building will also incorporate a shop that will include the best of Caithness products. The original mill was built in 1818 with an extension added later.
A new warehouse has been built beside the mill and will be used as a bottling store for the gin and vodka produced at Dunnet as well as the whisky from Castletown.
The company’s gin and vodka is sold all over the UK and in around 20 countries worldwide.
