Located at the Forss Business and Energy Park in Caithness, formerly a U.S. Navy base, North Point Distillery has received international acclaim for their range of small-batch expressions of Highland rum and gin, winning gold medals at the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC), the World Gin Awards and the World Rum Awards, where the distillery secured Craft Producer of the Year. The distillery also won London Dry Gin of the year at the Scottish Gin Awards earlier this month.

Produced “where the haar from the sea meets the mist from the land”, the Dalclagie Mill and croft provide inspiration for Scotland’s newest single malt whisky. A spirit shaped by the place and the people who live and work there, with the whisky carrying the motto: The People. The Place. The Whisky.

Launching the brand, co-founder Struan Mackie said: “we are incredibly proud to launch Dalclagie Single Malt Whisky.

“Having received our permissions over two years ago, the team began work on our single malt expression, ensuring our ethos for quality and taste was at the core of everything we do. To finally announce the Dalclagie brand and our cask programme is a proud moment for the distillery.”

Greg Benson, head distiller, added: “Dalclagie is special. We have used the very best heritage barley varieties available to us, conducting extra-long fermentations using Kveik yeast, and spirit cuts that are dictated by taste, not efficiency.

“With notes of tropical fruit, tinned peaches, and pineapple; a full-bodied texture; and a croissant sweetness, our new make spirit is delicious before it even touches the wood. Long term, our maturation style will be influenced by hand-selected bourbon barrels, as well as Palo Cortado casks from Spain.”

The distillery produces 200 casks of Dalclagie New Make every year, with their cask programme opening for the very first time this week.

Co-Founder Alex MacDonald said: “launching the Dalclagie Cask Programme is a huge moment for our distillery and we are offering a limited number of casks from our 2024 filling schedule this week.

“Our new make and the cask samples from our last two years of production are yielding a truly fantastic tasting spirit, complex and flavourful.

“I believe that Dalclagie will be one of the most sought after Highland single malt whiskies on the market and we expect our cask programme to be massively oversubscribed. Caithness is fast becoming a hotbed of Scotch Whisky production, a county making its mark globally and we are proud to add to the story.”