New Aberdeenshire distillery plans get the green light
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Plans to convert a north-east farm site at Fintray near Turriff into what could become a major new tourist attraction were approved by councillors at the Banff and Buchan area committee today.
Extensive plans have been created for the conversion of the farm buildings at Yonderton, which sit just off the B9105 to the north-west of Craigston Castle, into an on-site distillery which is expected to create between five and ten jobs in the sector.
Councillors at the meeting were supportive of the plans welcoming the potential economic benefits.
Questions were raised over the production capacity at the site with particular relation to how effluent water was to be dealt with.
Councillor Mike Roy while supportive of the project sought a deferral on the plans to have further information on this, but fellow councillors including Ross Cassie and Mark Findlater moved for the full approval, on the basis that issues raised were covered by licensing bodies including SEPA and Customs and Revenue who would need to provide their own approvals for the business to proceed with its plans.
With this in mind and no additional support for the deferral, the plans were approved in full.
Agents Mantell Ritchie, on behalf of applicant Wilson Strachan, have used the existing footprint of the farm site and the buildings, which are already situated within the farm’s confines, to form the main body of the distillery.
Site plans show the use of two stills housed within a traditional pagoda-roofed building, which will be located beside a glass-fronted still room.
Adjacent to this are two bonded warehouses which reuse two of the existing farm structures, which would in turn be refinished into an overall uniform look.
A further existing building at the farm would be converted into a malt house and the four buildings joined together in an innovative use of space into one single distillery building.
With tourism in mind, plans also involve the demolition of a disused cottage which sits adjacent to the main farm site into a new visitor centre.
