The new £13 million nine-storey distillery, nested within Leith’s historic port, will debut later this year under the watchful eye of Mr Sood, who formerly served as operations manager at The Lakes Distillery.

As well as tours, tastings, and a top floor mezzanine bar with panoramic views of Leith and Edinburgh, Port of Leith Distillery will produce up to one million bottles of premium whisky per year, harnessing locally grown barley, years of research into yeast and fermentation, and casks procured from premium producers in Spain, Portugal and the USA.

Anticipated figures indicate that the distillery will attract 25,000 visitors in its first year, with projections soaring to 160,000 annual visitors by 2025.

Mr Sood said: “Joining the iconic Scotch whisky industry was always a dream of mine, and immersing myself in a distillation process as unique as Port of Leith is already proving to be an incredible experience.

“Alongside getting to work with such a dedicated, passionate and forward thinking team, I’m honoured to be leading in all aspects of whisky making as we work towards bringing our new world class single malt to people across the globe.”

Vaibhav’s role is just one of 50 long term local jobs that will be created by the distillery in the coming year.

Paddy Fletcher, co-founder of Port of Leith Distillery, said: “Vaibhav’s appointment is a huge step forward for us as we look towards starting production in the next couple of months.

“Already, he has been instrumental in streamlining elements of our production process, spearheading our wood management program and recruiting for our Whisky Operations team and we look forward to his input in creating our exceptional new wave whisky.”

The vertical whisky distillery is the latest endeavour by Mr Fletcher alongside co-owner Ian Stirling in their long-standing investment in Leith.

The duo’s previous venture, the eco-friendly Lind & Lime Gin Distillery, which operates on 100% green electricity, opened its doors in May 2022. Since its inception, the gin distillery has seen over 6,000 visitors and projects an increase to 15,000 annual visitors this year.