Loch Lomond Brewery expands into whisky production
Fiona and Euan MacEachern, who set up Loch Lomond Brewery in 2011, have recently expanded into spirits production, creating West Highland Spirits gins and vodka at their Dumbarton-based distillery on the banks of the River Leven. Now, they are taking their expertise one step further with Levenbank Distillery set to become the Lowlands’ newest whisky producer.
For over a decade, the duo has perfected the art of brewing, creating multi-award-winning beers such as the famous ‘Silkie Stout.’ Now, they are applying that same dedication and expertly honed understanding of grains and yeast to whisky production, setting themselves apart by focusing on brewing exceptional wort as the foundation for their spirits.
“Whisky has been on the cards for many years.” explained company director Fiona MacEachern. “The seed was firmly planted when Euan and I began distilling gin for West Highland Spirits, and whisky was the natural next step for us. We’re excited to approach distilling from a brewer’s perspective because whisky is essentially distilled from a high-ABV beer. We will be using some of our much-loved beer recipes to form the basis of our whiskies—something no one else in the industry is really focusing on.”
Adding to their expertise, their Sales and Development Manager, George Wotherspoon, brings valuable experience in establishing a successful whisky distillery, giving the team the confidence to push forward with bold new ideas. The team has already installed their stills and begun filling the first casks, with support from industry veteran Jack Mayo who has previously worked with Glasgow Distillery and Holyrood Distillery.
Speaking about the setup, consultant distiller Jack Mayo said “Our custom-built copper and column stills are now installed, and we’re preparing to fill 150 to 200 casks. The distilling setup is designed to scale, with future capacity reaching over three times that volume, potentially delivering up to 80,000 LPA (litres of pure alcohol) with increased staffing and expanded wash-making facilities.”
Traditionally, Scotch whisky has relied heavily on cask maturation, with wood playing a dominant role in flavour development. However, Levenbank Distillery believes in a threefold partnership, where the new make spirit itself plays a more active role in shaping the final character of the whisky. They will produce three core styles of new-make spirit:
A light, fruit-forward spirit, using locally grown Laureate barley sourced from Crisp Maltings.
A robust and complex spirit, made with darker grains such as crystal and chocolate malted barley.
A peated spirit, bringing a smoky depth to their whisky range.
These backbone spirits will be blended over time to form Levenbank’s signature releases. The distillery will also have a range of single grain whiskies, including a rye expression, crafted from a variety of successful beer recipes, including imperial stouts, barleywines, and wee heavies.
“We want our whisky to be as remarkable as our beers,” said head distiller and company director Euan MacEachern. “We’re working towards a flagship unaged single malt to be released around 2030/31, with a range of peated and unpeated expressions, including single casks, leading up to our 10-year-old single malt. We also have some really exciting ideas as we experiment with adapting our award-winning beer recipes as the base for distillation.”
While the distillery will initially share space with the existing brewery, plans are already in motion for a separate distillery and visitor centre near the current site.
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