Port of Leith Distillery, Edinburgh: The Vertical Distillery

Overview

Port of Leith is Scotland’s first vertical distillery: a nine-storey tower on Whisky Quay in Leith, beside the Royal Yacht Britannia. It was founded by school friends Paddy Fletcher and Ian Stirling. The site was tiny, so they built upwards, stacking mashing, fermenting and distilling floor by floor, with a bar and restaurant on top looking over the Firth of Forth. The project cost about £12 million. The copper stills went in during March 2023, the building opened to visitors in October 2023, and new-make spirit ran in early 2024. The same company, Muckle Brig, makes Lind & Lime gin in Leith.

Where it is

The distillery is at 11 Whisky Quay, in Leith’s Ocean Terminal area, next to the Royal Yacht Britannia. It is about 2.5 miles north of Princes Street, with a direct tram link to the city centre. The Shore, Leith’s old harbour quarter of restaurants and bars, is a short walk away.

The full history

Leith: Scotland’s whisky port

For two centuries, Leith was the trading heart of Scotch whisky. Its bonded warehouses held millions of litres of maturing spirit, and blenders and shippers worked in its streets. Whisky came in from distilleries all over Scotland to be blended, bottled and shipped worldwide. By the late 20th century the trade had moved away, and Leith’s warehouses became flats and restaurants.

Two school friends and a tiny site

Paddy Fletcher and Ian Stirling wanted to bring whisky-making back to Leith. The only site they could get was a very small plot on the quay. Ian Stirling has said the shape and size of the building came from the tiny site. They designed a tower, with grain going in at the top and moving down floor by floor through the process. Building it cost about £12 million.

From gin to whisky

The company began with Lind & Lime gin, made in Leith while the distillery was planned. Under their company Muckle Brig, they also run the Leith Export Company. The distillery’s copper stills arrived in March 2023, the building opened to visitors in October 2023, and the first new-make spirit was produced in early 2024. The building has won design awards for its architecture.

How it’s made

Port of Leith works by gravity, with the process stacked vertically through the tower. Its copper pot stills sit behind glass. The focus is on flavour experiments with yeast, fermentation and cask, aiming for a distinctive modern Lowland malt.

Kings, queens & clans

• Mary, Queen of Scots landed at Leith in 1561 on her return from France to take the throne. A year earlier her mother, Mary of Guise, had held Leith against an English and Protestant siege. See Clan Stewart.
• The Logans of Restalrig held the lands around Leith in the Middle Ages.
• The Royal Yacht Britannia, next door, carried the royal family round the world for 44 years and is now one of Edinburgh’s top attractions.

Churches, wells & water

• South Leith Parish Church, on Kirkgate, is the old church of the port.
• St Triduana’s Chapel, Restalrig: a rare hexagonal 15th-century well-chapel, about 1.5 miles away.
• The Water of Leith reaches the sea at the Shore. Its walkway follows the river inland to Dean Village. Duddingston Loch, below Arthur’s Seat, is the nearest loch. See our lochs guide and our Edinburgh guide.
• For carved stones and ancient sites, see our standing stones guide.

Visiting

Port of Leith offers tours, tastings and a rooftop bar and restaurant with views across the Forth. Book ahead on the distillery’s website. Combine it with a visit to the Royal Yacht Britannia next door.

Nearby distilleries

• Bonnington, Leith (about 1 mile): the revived John Crabbie & Co.
• Holyrood, Edinburgh (about 3 miles), with tours.
• Glenkinchie, East Lothian (about 16 miles).
• Falkirk (about 25 miles).

The Edinburgh & Forth Whisky Trail and the whisky hub cover the region.

Sources

• Port of Leith distillery — Wikipedia.
• Decanter: a distillery in the sky.
• Barley Magazine: a year in the life of Port of Leith.