PICTURES: See inside the 19th-century Caithness mill undergoing a £4m transformation
The rich history of a 19th-century mill on the north coast will be “brought back to life” as it is transformed into a whisky distillery and visitor centre.
Work began recently to strip out and ensure the stability of the buildings at Castletown, the oldest of which is over 200 years old.
In around 18 months, Dunnet Bay Distillers expects to open the doors to one of Caithness’s most remarkable visitor attractions – as well as produce a new brand of whisky.
The first 200 casks of Stannergill Whisky, The Spirit of Castletown Mill, were sold by investment firm Whisky Hammer earlier this year at a pre-order price of £4750 each.
On Saturday, a limited number of people got a look inside the historic buildings as part of the Doors Open Days initiative, which sees attractions and other venues made accessible to the public.
The name of the new whisky comes from the burn which once fed the watermill. Two new stills – which will make up around half of the cost of the £4 million investment in the distillery – will be housed in the old mill buildings, which date back to 1818.
They are made up of a miller’s house and grain stores, but the roofless remains have lain derelict for 32 years. The work to restore the B-listed old mill and an adjoining slaughterhouse and mill extension, added in 1888, is being undertaken by Norbloc Construction, supported by Organic Architects in Helensburgh.
With all permissions now in place for the work, Martin and Claire Murray, who have run the successful distilling business for the past nine years, hope that it can open by the third quarter of 2024.
The 1818 part of the mill would have had a Caithness flagstone roof, which is going to be reinstated as part of the works. To allow the stills to be replaced in future, removable glass panels will be used in the front of the building facing the road.
Jamie Rogers, site manager for Norbloc, explained that the Welsh slate roof has recently been removed from the 1888 wing and will be replaced with slate from the same location, while underpinning to the 1818 mill is progressing to ensure the building can support the weight of the new flagstone roof.
Some of the challenges the workers have faced so far include removing 37 tonnes of pigeon droppings from inside the buildings, as well as dealing with three protected species on site – pipistrelle bats, otters and barn owls.
Joanne Howdle, interpretation and engagement manager at Dunnet Bay Distillers, led Saturday’s tour, and explained some of the history behind the site.
The original mill was built by James Traill, who founded the nearby Caithness flagstone quarry. Over the years the mill was extended – it was bought by the Calder family in 1914 and run as a grain mill. William Mackenzie bought the site in the 1930s and turned part of it into a slaughterhouse.
“Now it has been bought by Claire and Martin who are the next entrepreneurs,” Ms Howdle said, “so there are all those stories, and the use of local materials.
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“The whisky is very much going to be from local materials - we’re going to use George Campbell at Thurdistoft who has just harvested the barley, we’re going to use the spring water from the Stannergill Burn.
“It’s very much a local story, it’s more than just whisky, and I think people will appreciate that. This has got a rich and deep history and that’s what we’ll bring to life.”
The original waterwheel from the site has not been found but parts of the lade remain, as well as much of the machinery from the mill which has been recovered.
Two stones from the earlier building are missing, one with the construction date of 1818 and one that is believed to be labelled GT, for George Traill, for whom the mill was built by his father James.
The plans for the distillery include a bistro with outdoor seating area, a kitchen and a visitor centre which will feature the history of the mill as well as an event space. The development is expected to create 12 jobs.
A new warehouse has been built beside the mill and will be used as a bottling store for the gin and vodka produced at Dunnet as well as the whisky from Castletown. A high flagstone wall will be built to shield the new buildings from the mill site.
Ms Howdle added: “There’s a big arched doorway in the centre [of the 1888 wing] and that will be the main visitor entrance and that will lead into a shop on the ground floor and a gathering area for tours.
“The miller’s house was occupied up until the 1960s. Looking through the window you can see the original kitchen range, which we’ll restore for our bistro.”
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