Dunphail distillery
| Region: Speyside | |
|---|---|
| Location | Wester Greens, Dunphail, Forres, Moray IV36 2QR, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 57°31′27″N 3°36′35″W / 57.5242°N 3.6098°W |
| Owner | Dunphail Distillery Ltd. |
| Founded | 6 October 2023 |
| Founder | Dariusz Plazewski Ewelina Chruszczyk |
| Status | Operational |
| Water source | Borehole |
| No. of stills | 3 2 2250 litre wash stills 1 2250 litre spirit still |
| Capacity | 200,000 litres[1] |
| Website | www |
| Location | |
Dunphail Distillery is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Dunphail, Forres, Moray, built within a set of converted former farm buildings.
Production at the site is done on traditional equipment, including direct-fired stills and wooden washbacks. All of the barley used on site is floor-malted at the distillery.
History
Planning permission was sought in 2021 to convert the existing Wester Green Steading into a distillery with cask storage and a floor maltings.[2] The site was previously used as barns for livestock, and the current distillery retains some of the original stonework.[3] The distillery aimed to be the second distillery in Scotland to floor malt 100% of the barley it used onsite, the other being Springbank.[4]
Production began at the site in October 2023.[5] Upon opening, the distillery employed five people.[6] As of 2025, the distillery was only producing 100,000 litres of spirit per year, half of its stated capacity.[1]
Key people
The distillery was co-founded by partners Dariusz Plazewski and Ewelina Chruszczyk.[5] They had emigrated from Poland to the UK in 2003, and previously founded the English whisky distillery Bimber in North Acton, London in 2015.[7]
Plazewski described himself as a "third-generation moonshiner", having been taught to distill by his Polish father and grandfather, and previously worked as an architect.[4][8] Chruszczyk was an interior designer and bespoke furniture-maker prior to co-founding the distillery.[9] In 2022, Matt McKay joined Dunphail as Director of Whisky Creation and Outreach, with Plazewski as master distillery.[10]
In February 2024, Plazewski was arrested at his London home.[11] He was found to have been living in the UK under an assumed identity and faced extradition to Poland.[12][13][14] Following his arrest, he relinquished control of Dunphail distillery to McKay and Chruszczyz.[15] McKay left the company in December 2024.[16]
Production
The production site at Dunphail was designed to go beyond what was possible at Bimber distillery due to space limitations at the London site; for example, unlike at Bimber, Dunphail floor-malt at the distillery itself.[17] The floor maltings at Dunphail was the first to be built at a Speyside distillery since 1898.[18] The barley is hand-turned twice a day, and the distillery has a working pagoda for ventilation.[19]
Dunphail make both peated and unpeated spirit. There are 12 Douglas fir washbacks and the fermentation is 144 hours. There are three stills; two wash stills and one spirit still. All three stills are 2250 litres and direct-fired.[17][1]
The new make spirit is textural, rich and fruity. Maturation is predominately in 250 litre refill hogsheads, sherry casks, and both ruby and tawny port casks.[19][3]
References
- ^ a b c Ronde, Ingvar (2025). Malt Whisky Yearbook 2026. Shrewsbury: MagDig Media Limited. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-7394492-2-3.
- ^ McCartney, Gerry (27 February 2021). "Bimber Distillery Ltd applies to convert Dunphail farm buildings into whisky distillery".
- ^ a b Youngman, Angela (2026). The Whisky and Gin Lover's Guide to Scotland. Philadelphia: White Owl. p. 179.
- ^ a b Warburton, Simon (26 October 2022). "Third generation moonshiner ready to distill Forres whisky after raising £2m". The Press & Journal.
- ^ a b McCartney, Garry (18 October 2023). "Whisky production has started at brand new Dunphail Distillery founded by Dariusz Plazewski of Bimber Distillery". Forres Gazette.
- ^ Broadbent, Jessica. "London's Bimber Distillery founder launches Scotch facility in Speyside". Just Drinks. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
- ^ "About the Producer: Bimber". Fine & Rare.
- ^ Motion, Holly (17 June 2022). "Dariusz Plazewski: grand designs". Fine+Rare.
- ^ "In Profile: Five Minutes With Ewelina Chruszczyk of Darma Ltd". The Design Society.
- ^ Smith, Kenny (11 January 2022). "Dunphail Distillery appoints its director of whisky creation". Scottish Field.
- ^ Ames, Jonathan (12 February 2024). "Whisky boss denied bail on conspiracy to murder charges in Poland". The Times.
- ^ Morrison, Ali (19 February 2024). "Founder of Dunphail Distillery Dariusz Plazewski (46) accused of living double life as he is arrested after conspiracy to murder charge". The Northern Scot.
- ^ Stephens, Max (12 February 2024). "Artisan London whisky maker unmasked as Polish criminal on run for 20 years". The Telegraph.
- ^ Whymark, Bethany (13 February 2024). "Boss of Bimber and Dunphail distilleries arrested and facing extradition to Poland". Whisky Magazine.
- ^ Bowes, Lauren (16 February 2024). "Bimber co-founder relinquishes responsibilities". The Spirits Business.
- ^ "Bimber and Dunphail's Matt McKay appointed managing director of the London Distillery Company". Whisky Magazine. 11 December 2024.
- ^ a b Jennings, Mark (18 October 2023). "EXCLUSIVE: Dunphail Distillery starts production". Whisky Magazine.
- ^ Bowes, Lauren (20 October 2023). "Whisky production begins at Dunphail Distillery". The Spirits Business.
- ^ a b "Our Craft". Dunphail Distillery.