Aceo has announced that they will be reopening the Victorian Dallas Dhu Distillery in Forres which closed over 40 years ago. The Distillery operated between 1899 and 1983 and Aceo aims to bring the distillery back into production as well as building a state-of-the-art visitor attraction. It will join Aceo’s other businesses in Speyside including Dallas Dhu House and The Old Bank in Forres, Parkmore Distillery Manager’s House in Dufftown – plus an old stone Bothy in the Glenrinnes hills and Beach Huts at Findhorn Beach.
“The Aceo Team are thrilled to be reopening the historic Dallas Dhu Distillery,” said Edward Odim, Managing Director, Aceo. “Our vision is to make Dallas Dhu one of the leading, must-see whisky distilleries in Scotland, giving visitors a unique, close-up experience of whisky making. The aim is to breathe life back into the distillery by first getting the original equipment working and traditional whisky distilling going once again.
“Longer term, the plan is for a state-of-the-art visitor centre with exhibition and museum space, and a café/restaurant, to be enjoyed by visitors and the local community. There will be a cooperage display, a working malt floor and an interactive virtual reality whisky experience, exploring Scotland’s famous spirit.” explained Mr Odim. “But, as well as showing how whisky is made, we intend to shed light on the sometimes hard social and economic history of whisky production in Speyside, Scotland’s largest whisky producing region.”
“We are very excited by the Dallas Dhu Distillery revival project, which has so much potential” added Edward Odim. “So, it’s time for us to roll up our sleeves and get going on reviving this jewel in the crown of Scotland’s whisky distilleries.”
Aceo, with its HQ near Edinburgh, provides a wide range of B2B services including bottling, label design, cask management, logistics and exports and have longstanding ties with Speyside; in addition to its whisky maturation warehouses at Kinloss, Coleburn and Royal Brackla (together holding 50,000 casks), it also has a Craft Bottling Hall at Dandaleith near Craigellachie.