Isle of Mull distillery Tobermory is to halt production for 24 months from the end of March while its owner Distell Group Ltd carries out upgrades to the distillery and visitor centre.
Tobermory operates two production cycles during the year in order to produce its Tobermory and Ledaig malts.
South African spirit and wine producer, Distell, announced plans to invest in the distillery following the recent release of new malts – The Ledaig 19-Year-Old and Tobermory 21-Year-Old.
The company confirmed the Tobermory visitor centre will remain open and continue to host tours throughout the upgrades.
A range of limited editions from both brands will also be released over the next two years.
Distell’s European Managing Director, Fraser Thornton also said the roles of the Tobermory team will be “protected as far as possible”.
He said, “We recognise the time during which the refurbishment is taking place will create substantial change for the distillery team and that is why we have come up with different options to accommodate people’s personal situations and continue to financially support them during this time.
“Tobermory has demonstrated strong growth in visitors and we want to invest in the only distillery on the island and continue to ensure it produces some of the best island malts in Scotland, as well as a truly memorable experience for visitors.”
Distell owns three single malt whisky distilleries in Scotland: Deanston in Doune, Perthshire, Bunnahabhain on the Isle of Islay and Tobermory.