{"id":57584,"date":"2024-12-23T10:00:25","date_gmt":"2024-12-23T10:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"\/blog\/post\/top-whisky-distilleries-to-watch-out-for-in-2025\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T12:08:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T12:08:27","slug":"top-whisky-distilleries-to-watch-out-for-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/post\/top-whisky-distilleries-to-watch-out-for-in-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Whisky Distilleries To Watch Out For In 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are lots of whisky distilleries to watch out for in 2025. While new whisky<\/a> distilleries are always exciting, we’ve selected a few here that have very much caught our eye. Here’s why.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

New whisky distilleries: a 21st century phenomenon<\/b><\/h3>\n

People relatively new to the world of whisky have become somewhat spoiled by the sheer volume and variety of whisky makers that have arrived on the scene in recent years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Go back to 2005 and those who recall the opening of Kilchoman<\/a> will remember how big that felt. It was the first distillery to be built on Islay for 124 years and was the third malt distillery to open in Scotland since 1990. In the 19 years that followed, an estimated 52 new distilleries have been built.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In Ireland, three distilleries were operating in 2010: Midleton<\/a>, Bushmills<\/a>, and Cooley<\/a>. Now there are over 40 working whiskey distilleries and that number will soon cross the half century. In 2005, The English Whisky Co. Ltd<\/a>. was granted permission to found the first registered whisky distillery in England in over 100 years. There are now 55 distilleries on the English whisky<\/a> map.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, building and running a distillery isn\u2019t all smooth sailing and Party Rings. Anyone who saw the recent disappointing news about Waterford Distillery<\/a> calling in receivers to secure its future will appreciate that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The last few years have been plagued by challenges: wars, trade disputes, the rising cost of living, Brexit, an actual plague in the form of COVID… We thought we might see Elixir Distillers\u2019 Portintruan Distillery open this year on Islay<\/a>, but construction had to be paused after the ISG construction company entered administration.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fundamentally, whisky has always been a boom-bust industry. Naturally, with so many new producers all vying for market share in a competitive space and few economic, social, or political factors weighing in their favour, people are concerned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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A recent picture showing the development of Ardgowan Distillery<\/p><\/div>\n

The whisky distilleries of the future<\/b><\/h3>\n

But while there are doubters, there are also believers. There is lots of new whisky that will soon flow from casks across the world. The whisky distilleries of the future have several things in common. Most of them are supremely concerned with the technicalities of production and want you to know about it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Whether they\u2019re harking back to old school techniques, embracing the bright brilliance of new technology, or have a geek-off to prove who knows the most about yeast or barley varieties, distilleries of today understand that a pretty bottle and a story about a grandma\u2019s secret recipe just isn\u2019t going to cut it. Iiyama Mountain Farm Distillery, featured on this list, actually employed a scientist to help engineer an extreme weather-resistant barley strain. Also below is the Spirit of Manchester Distillery<\/a>, whose English whisky will benefit from a collab with a local brewery to secure a 5,000th-generation yeast.<\/span><\/p>\n

You also can\u2019t get away with using sustainability as a buzzword. Building a new site from scratch allows the opportunity to do things right, and whether motivated by a genuine communal desire to preserve and protect the planet or by the fact that in this market no green credentials are a problem (or both), the desire to be (or be seen) as environmentally conscious is a fundamental tenant of new distillerydom.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In our list of top whisky distilleries to watch out for in 2025 alone, you can point to Laggan Bay\u2019s dedicated wetlands to manage liquid waste and provide a haven for wildlife, or Eden Mill<\/a> and its 100% renewable electricity plus its capturing of CO\u2082 produced during the fermentation process for future use. The eco-friendly Ardgowan Distillery<\/a> will have a carbon-negative process, featuring heat recovery, water conservation, and carbon capture initiatives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Who are these whisky distilleries of the future? Let\u2019s get to the list. Some of these will open next year, others will release their first whiskies. All of them are very exciting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Top whisky distilleries to watch out for in 2025<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Laggan Bay Distillery will soon be more than an artist’s impression<\/p><\/div>\n

Laggan Bay, Scotland<\/b><\/h3>\n

In our round-up of the <\/span>Islay whisky distilleries that will open in the future<\/span><\/a>, we put a spotlight on Laggan Bay. It will become the 12th whisky distillery operating on the iconic island when it opens in 2025. A partnership between Ian Macleod Distillers and The Islay Boys (whose newly completed brewery sits next to it at Glenegedale), this is a project backed by proper drinks people who intend to make \u201ctraditional, double-distillation Islay whisky\u201d. Perhaps they\u2019ll even be available to see at the next F\u00e8is \u00ccle\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Iiyama Mountain Farm Distillery, Japan<\/b><\/h3>\n

An independent distillery in Japan releasing its first single malt whisky<\/a> will always pique interest. We\u2019re set to see the first Kiyokawa Whisky in 2025 from the Iiyama Mountain Farm Distillery, Japan, which creates whisky using a farm-to-bottle approach, as the name suggests. The process begins with a hybrid mountain barley developed with the aforementioned local scientist that can withstand the harsh climate of the distillery\u2019s home, tucked away in the Japanese Alps. This stunning locale brings fresh mountain spring water and huge temperature variance for both barley production and the maturation climate, with the barley fields sometimes buried under three metres of snow in the winter followed by hot summers. State-of-the-art Frilli pot stills and marsala casks from Italy, plus oloroso sherry casks from Spain will also help forge the Kiyokawa DNA.<\/span><\/p>\n

Isle of Tiree Distillery, Scotland<\/b><\/h3>\n

The first expression of Tiree Whisky in over 200 years arrives in January 2025. Ian Smith and Alain Campbell founded the Tiree whisky company in 2012 on the Hebridean island and launched Tyree Gin in 2017. It\u2019s also bottled some whiskies \u2013 The Cairnsmuir and TMF10 whisky. But the three-year-old single malt whisky launching in January is all Tiree. It\u2019s made from unpeated malted barley in a small oak mash tun, distilled over a direct flame in small copper pot stills and then matured in American oak bourbon quarter casks and a 50-litre virgin oak cask before spending a further two years in first-fill oloroso sherry casks. The island\u2019s first legal operational distillery since the 1800s plans to follow the single malt whisky with a single grain Scotch whisky.<\/span><\/p>\n