Planning proposals have been submitted for the St. Boswells Distillery located at Charlesfield Industrial Estate. The distillery will produce 20 million litres of pure alcohol per year meeting growing demand for grain whisky for Scotch Whisky blending and a Scottish grain neutral spirit for gin and vodka.

Jackson Distillers is working with Noble & Company to secure the £46m investment to enable the construction of the grain distillery, the first for the Scottish Borders and only the second of such facilities to be built in Scotland in the last 25 years.

Trevor Jackson, founder & CEO of Jackson Distillers, said: “We are excited to bring forward this transformational opportunity for the Scottish Borders. The project will create 20 permanent high-value jobs and a further 200 jobs through the construction stage whilst providing a crucial ongoing contribution to the local rural economy.

“The distillery will play its part in helping Scotland meet its climate change ambitions, sending zero waste to landfill with sustainability at the forefront of its production practices.”

The facility will add value to locally grown cereals using up to date distilling technology, adding to the circular economy, reducing carbon emissions and maximising recycling with zero waste to landfill.

The site is uniquely positioned to take high-quality local cereals from the Tweed valley and process them efficiently and sustainably into spirit using renewable energy. The cereals journey will be tracked from seedbed to still and beyond so that customers can be confident of the provenance of the spirit.

The cereals, once spent, will be passed to the adjacent anaerobic digestion plant, where it will be converted into energy with the remaining material (digestate) being used as soil conditioner for the crops. Process water will come from an on-site bore-hole and will be efficiently recycled to minimise the use of natural resources in production.

The development near St Boswells, will create 20 permanent high-value jobs and more than 200 jobs on-site through the construction phase, creating skills and training opportunities locally and generating significant economic value for the Scottish Borders.

Mr Jackson has formed a highly experienced leadership team with decades of experience in the whisky industry as well as having led significant construction projects in whisky distilling, renewable energy and infrastructure.

Jackson Distillers is working with Michael Laird Architects, principal contractor Frilli s.r.l., Colorado Group and environmental consultants Mabbett Ltd to deliver the project. The distillery building aims to be an exemplar of sustainable industrial use and to enhance the surrounding built environment.

The planning application is expected to be determined in July.