Port of Leith Distillery appoints Head of Whisky

July 6, 2023 3:27 pm

Port of Leith Distillery at Ocean Terminal which will open later this summer has appointed Vaibhav Sood as Head of Whisky.

Vaibhav has until recently worked at the Lakes Distillery as Operations Manager and is now taking up the challenge of running the £13 million nine-storey distillery.

The one million bottles a year distillery will offer tastings and tours at its new building currently under construction – and the first vertical distillery in the UK will offer panoramic views of Leith and beyond. The owners believe that there could be as many as 25,000 visitors in the first year with expectations of around 160,000 in two years’ time.

Vaibhav said: “Joining the iconic Scotch whisky industry was always a dream of mine, and immersing myself in a distillation process as unique as Port of Leith is already proving to be an incredible experience.

“Alongside getting to work with such a dedicated, passionate and forward thinking team, I’m honoured to be leading in all aspects of whisky making as we work towards bringing our new world class single malt to people across the globe.”

Vaibhav’s role is just one of 50 long term local jobs that will be created by the distillery in the coming year.

Paddy Fletcher, Co-Founder of Port of Leith Distillery, said: “Vaibhav’s appointment is a huge step forward for us as we look towards starting production in the next couple of months.

“Already, he has been instrumental in streamlining elements of our production process, spearheading our wood management program and recruiting for our Whisky Operations team and we look forward to his input in creating our exceptional new wave whisky.”

Port of Leith Distillery is the latest long term investment in Leith by co-owners and lifelong friends Ian Stirling and Paddy Fletcher, following the opening of the new Lind & Lime Gin Distillery in May 2022, a brand they launched in 2018 from a tiny industrial unit.

The eco-friendly gin distillery – which is powered by 100% green electricity – has since welcomed more than 6,000 visitors to its tasting, bottling and cocktail making tours, with numbers set to increase to a forecasted 15,000 visitors annually this year.