A True Single Estate Distillery
On the historic Fetternear Estate, we’re creating something rare in Scotch whisky, a true single estate Donside malt where every element, from estate-grown barley to woodland-fuelled distillation, comes from one place.
Artist impression
Working with David Fyffe, owner of the Fetternear Estate and agricultural expert, we’ve sourced premium varieties of large grain, heritage barley with low nitrogen and high starch content, the perfect foundation for exceptional quality spirit.
The River Don flows through the Fetternear Estate, from Brown Cow Hill to the sea. Fetternear is the only whisky distillery on Donside utilising the power of the River Don and a 500 mile catchment area to provide water and power.
In time, floor maltings will steep, germinate and dry our estate barley using methods unchanged for centuries, then mill it precisely to our head distiller’s specifications, ensuring every grain meets our standard.
Long fermentation using water from our own borehole and a range of yeasts will develop a characterful, fruity wash.
Traditional distillation in hand-beaten copper stills, heated by steam from estate biomass. Our Master distiller making the cuts, coaxing out the character unique to Fetternear.
Our on-site cooperage will prepare our casks. Initial maturation will be in ex-bourbon barrels, with future finishes using sherry, rum, red wine and port casks, re-charred to our specifications.
Our new make spirit fills our prepared casks, then rests in traditional dunnage warehousing for a minimum of three years. Time, Donside’s micro-climate, wood and our distillers’ attention shaping a spirit found nowhere else.
Carbon-neutral power from estate forestry brash biomass generators, solar panels, ground source heat pumps and a hydro-electric turbine on the River Don. Excess heat from distillation warms neighbouring buildings, energy created, shared, nothing wasted.
Estate barley draff feeds local cattle. Pot ale returns to our fields as copper-rich natural fertiliser. Even our spent grains find purpose in premium dog treats, complete circularity, nothing wasted.
Every bottle of Inverurie whisky will be hand-bottled on site.
Bishop cask owners will have the opportunity to have their personal casks bottled by our distillery team, complete with personalised labels.
Alongside our walled garden, we’re planting 50 acres of oak and broadleaf woodland on marginal land, increasing biodiversity and welcoming indigenous wildlife, flora and fauna to Fetternear.
The Larder Smokehouse & Farm Shop at Fetternear Home Farm will sell produce reared, grown, harvested and produced on Fetternear Estate.
Sixty jobs created at Inverurie Distillery and in the local area, prioritising local recruitment through apprenticeships, retraining programmes and opportunities for experienced returners.
From the barley field to the bottle in your hand, every element of our whisky comes from one place. The River Don provides our water, estate woodland fuels our stills, spent grains feed local cattle, and even our oak shavings smoke meat at The Larder. Nothing wasted, everything connected. This is what it truly means to be a single estate distillery.
