Witchburn Distillery: Campbeltown History, Plans and Visitor Information
Witchburn is Brave New Spirits' Campbeltown distillery project at Machrihanish. Its reuse of former military buildings gives it a different setting from the town's established stillhouses. The development combines ambitious production plans with a deliberately practical start: the producer says it will not initially have public tours.
This is not the separate Machrihanish Distillery project at Dhurrie Farm. The names describe different developments and should not be combined in a directory or bottle record.
Witchburn at a glance
Key fact | Verified detail |
|---|---|
Location | Former airbase complex at Machrihanish, near Campbeltown |
Developer | Brave New Spirits |
Planning milestone | Permission reported in August 2023 |
Current evidence | Equipment installation and spring 2026 electrical infrastructure |
Proposed whisky styles | Unpeated, lightly peated and heavily peated |
Published design capacity | Up to 2.7 million litres of alcohol annually; not verified output |
Own mature whisky | No released Witchburn-distilled single malt verified |
Public visits | No visitor centre or tours initially, according to the producer |
Research checked 26 October 2026. Production plans, visitor schedules and bottle availability can change.
In this guide
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From a Machrihanish military site to a whisky project
Brave New Spirits announced its Campbeltown plans in May 2023. A planning report later that summer recorded approval from Argyll and Bute Council. The scheme belongs to a period of renewed interest in the region rather than a revival of one of its existing three working malt distilleries.
The producer's timeline shows design and site preparation continuing during 2024, followed by equipment deliveries, washback installation and boiler work in 2025. Its latest labelled stage is the spring 2026 arrival of high-voltage electrical infrastructure.
These dated photographs are better evidence of progress than an old projected opening. The checked timeline does not supply a definitive first spirit date, so this guide does not turn construction photographs into a claim of completed production.
Who owns Witchburn?
The project is operated under the Witchburn name by Brave New Spirits, a business already active in whisky bottling and blending. An established portfolio can support a new distillery, but mature whisky sold by that business is not automatically whisky distilled at Witchburn.
The 2023 planning coverage describes a dedicated distillery and warehouse development. Its visitor policy also distinguishes it from a tourist-led project: the first priority is setting up the production operation.
Planned stills, fermentation and energy
The current distillery page describes four stills and a design capacity of up to 2.7 million litres of alcohol a year. That is a capacity claim, not a measured annual production figure. Earlier announcements gave a smaller figure, so the guide follows the current description while keeping the distinction explicit.
The producer emphasises liquid yeast, extended copper contact and an electrically supported steam system. The intended avoidance of fossil fuels is part of its engineering proposition; it is not presented here as an independently audited carbon result.
The original project announcement envisaged unpeated, lightly peated and heavily peated whisky. Its cask information also discusses bourbon and sherry wood. Exact recipes and bottle specifications should be recorded only when named releases are documented.
Witchburn whisky range
Witchburn's public material concerns future spirit, casks and bottlings. It does not establish a mature distillery single malt for the current bottle catalogue.
Future Witchburn single malt
Bottle detail | Future Witchburn single malt |
|---|---|
Release status | Not verified as mature whisky on sale |
Styles announced | Unpeated and different peat levels |
Age and strength | No confirmed consumer bottling specification |
Casks, rare releases and what remains to be announced
An offer connected with future casks is not proof that a finished bottle exists. It also does not establish the date of the first production run. This guide does not convert cask marketing into whisky availability or investment advice.
No competition award for a mature Witchburn-distilled single malt is attributed here. Future first-cask, commissioning and bottling announcements will need to be checked individually.
Visiting Witchburn Distillery
Witchburn explicitly says its initial operation will have neither a visitor centre nor tours. It should therefore not be included as a bookable distillery stop without a later change from the producer.
The cover is a real development-site photograph of the existing buildings and tower. It is not an architectural rendering or a promise of a completed attraction. For a Campbeltown itinerary, consult the established producers below and verify each tour separately.
Campbeltown distilleries and another new producer
Springbank. An established Campbeltown production story.
Glen Scotia. Explore another of the town's working malt distilleries.
Glengyle and Kilkerran. The separate Glengyle distillery and its whisky brand.
Machrihanish Distillery. The R&B project at Dhurrie Farm, not Witchburn.
Bothy Distillery. A wider Scottish comparison, in Angus rather than Campbeltown.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Witchburn the same as Machrihanish Distillery?
No. Witchburn is the Brave New Spirits project; the Dhurrie Farm Machrihanish project belongs to R&B Distillers.
Can visitors tour Witchburn?
The producer's current statement says there will initially be no visitor centre or tours.
Has a mature Witchburn whisky been released?
No own-distilled mature release was verified in the checked material. Proposed styles and cask offers are not released bottles.
How far has construction progressed?
The official timeline records equipment installation and a spring 2026 electrical-infrastructure milestone. It does not establish a first spirit date here.
Sources and photograph credits
External references are grouped here. Producer tasting descriptions, where included, are identified separately from independent Whisky Clan reviews.
About the author
 | Filip Janczak Storyteller, drinker and explorer of all things whisky. Read more about the person behind Whisky Clan and explore additional reviews and distillery guides. |
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