£8m Islay whisky distillery plans approved

The green light has been given for the first malt whisky distillery to be built on Islay in over a decade.

Family-owned whisky firm Hunter Laing & Co will build a new £8 million distillery and visitor centre on the island.

The go-ahead was granted by Argyll and Bute Council to build the new Ardnahoe distillery to brothers Andrew and Scott Laing, along with their father,Stewart.

Construction is expected to start in November, with the first drop to flow from their stills in early 2018.

The Glasgow-based company, which was established in 2013, is already a specialist whisky blender and bottler and distributes whisky to 65 markets around the world.

It will build on a four-acre piece of land – purchased from Islay Estates.