Falkirk's Rosebank Distillery set to be open to public by Christmas

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The "sleeping giant" that is Rosebank Distillery came a step closer to awakening on Wednesday, as members of Falkirk Council's licensing board agreed to grant it a provisional licence.

Members heard that work on the historic building is now close to finishing and owners Ian Macleod Distillers aim to have it fully open to the public for tours and whisky tastings by Christmas.Steven Arnott, of Ian Macleod Distillers, told members that the handover of the building would be phased and the production area would be complete "reasonably soon", with the full completion expected "round about summer".

However, he confirmed that once that happens, construction will start on a two-storey car park for visitors and the building will not open until that is finished.He said: "We'll use that interim period between the summer and autumn to do recruitment and training and small scale visits for journalists and whisky writers and these kind of things." Read more: Falkirk Council's plan to axe school buses could fail over lack of political support The site was mothballed 25 years ago and had lain derelict until Ian Macleod Distillers announced its planned to completely renovate the historic distillery, which dates back to the 1700s.

Solicitor Caroline Loudon, representing the company, told the board: "It's known as 'a sleeping giant awakens' and it's a hugely exciting project for the client, bringing Rosebank Distillery back to life."She told members that Ian Macleod is a large well-known company with several high profile brands, and Rosebank will offer in a similar way to Glengoyne Whisky, which offers tours and tastings at the distillery near Killearn.