Award-winning Scottish brewers Fiona and Euan MacEachern, who established Loch Lomond Brewery in 2011, are expanding their expertise into whisky production with their new Levenbank Distillery.
The husband-and-wife team has already ventured into spirits production with West Highland Spirits gins and vodka at their Dumbarton-based distillery on the banks of the River Leven, and are now taking their craft a step further by establishing what will become the Lowlands’ newest whisky producer.
For over a decade, the MacEacherns have perfected the art of brewing, creating multi-award-winning beers such as the famous ‘Silkie Stout’. They plan to apply their extensive knowledge of grains and yeast to whisky production, setting themselves apart in the industry.
“Whisky has been on the cards for many years,” explained company director Fiona MacEachern. “The seed was firmly planted when Euan and I began distilling gin for West Highland Spirits, and whisky was the natural next step for us. We’re excited to approach distilling from a brewer’s perspective because whisky is essentially distilled from a high-ABV beer. We will be using some of our much-loved beer recipes to form the basis of our whiskies—something no one else in the industry is really focusing on.”
Situated just south of the Highland Line, Levenbank Distillery is a Lowland distillery that benefits from the purity of Highland water. The distillery takes its name from the River Leven, which flows from Loch Lomond and winds around the facility.
While traditionally Scotch whisky relies heavily on cask maturation with wood playing a dominant role in flavor development, Levenbank Distillery believes “in a threefold partnership, where the new make spirit itself plays a more active role in shaping the final character of the whisky.”
The team has already installed their stills and begun filling the first casks, with support from industry veteran Jack Mayo who has previously worked with Glasgow Distillery and Holyrood Distillery.
“Our custom-built copper and column stills are now installed, and we’re preparing to fill 150 to 200 casks,” said consultant distiller Jack Mayo. “The distilling setup is designed to scale, with future capacity reaching over three times that volume, potentially delivering up to 80,000 LPA (litres of pure alcohol) with increased staffing and expanded wash-making facilities.”
The distillery plans to produce three backbone spirits that will be blended over time to form Levenbank’s signature releases. They will also create a range of single grain whiskies, including a rye expression, crafted from a variety of successful beer recipes, including imperial stouts, barleywines, and wee heavies.
Adding to their expertise, sales and development manager George Wotherspoon brings valuable experience in establishing a successful whisky distillery, giving the team the confidence to push forward with bold new ideas.
Whisky enthusiasts will need to be patient, however, as the company is “working towards a flagship unaged single malt to be released around 2030/31, with a range of peated and unpeated expressions.”
