Whisky production has started at brand new Dunphail Distillery founded by Dariusz Plazewski of Bimber Distillery

A NEW whisky distillery has opened near Forres.

After 18 months under construction, Dunphail Distillery has announced that full production commenced on Friday, October 6.

Founder and master distiller, Dariusz Plazewski, confirmed the 200,000 LPA capacity site was converted by Bimber Distillery from an existing farm steading to change perceptions of 'Scotch'.

He said: "It has long been my calling to produce whisky that has been shaped by the richness of distilling heritage. At Dunphail we’re taking a extremely detailed approach to our whisky making, combining our knowledge and deep passion to ensure that everything we do is driven by the fundamentals of flavour and quality."

He added: "Constructing the distillery has been both a lifelong dream and one of the biggest challenges of my career. But that time and effort has been well worth it - our first batch of new make spirit is simply astonishing and unlike anything I’ve tasted to date."

Dunphail operates time-honoured processes including on-site floor malting, traditional kilning, long fermentations and directly-fired stills. Producing both unpeated and peated single malt whiskies, the distillery crafts textural, fruit-forward single malt whiskies.

Dunphail’s malthouse features the first distillery-based malting floor newly constructed in Speyside since 1898. The facility was carefully designed and built to preserve this highly traditional craft and is operated using traditional malting tools.

The distillery’s visitor centre and shop opened earlier this year, offering daily tours and tastings of Dunphail’s Dava Way whiskies to visitors.

It is envisaged that the tour programme will be expanded in time to include warehouse experiences as well as visitor blending sessions.

Meanwhile, Plazewski is keen for whisky lovers to try Dunphail’s newly distilled spirit.

He said: "It is incredibly fat and fruity, packed full of the personality derived from our traditional production processes.

"I’m looking forward to sharing it and working with my team to shape it into a truly extraordinary Speyside whisky over the years to come.”