Dunphail Distillery

Dariusz Plazewski and Ewelina Chruszczyk emigrated from Poland to the UK in 2003. Plazewski describes himself as a third-generation moonshiner, taught distillation by his father and grandfather, while also working professionally as an architect. Chruszczyk was an interior designer and furniture maker. Together they founded Bimber Distillery in North Acton, London in 2015, and Bimber's critical acclaim planted the seeds for their Scottish venture.

Planning permission for Dunphail was sought in 2021, proposing to convert the Wester Green Steading — a former livestock farm that retained its original stone buildings — into a distillery. The project was formally announced and construction proceeded, with the site designed by Plazewski himself. Production commenced on 6 October 2023 with a team of five staff. The floor maltings facility — malting 100% of the barley used, with hand-turning twice daily — was completed within the traditional pagoda-style ventilation structure, which had not been built at a Speyside distillery in 125 years. As of 2025, the distillery is producing at approximately half its 200,000-litre annual capacity as it builds toward full operations.

Three direct-fired copper pot stills, all at 2,250 litres capacity, operate at Dunphail: two wash stills and one spirit still. The distillery features twelve Douglas fir washbacks with 144-hour fermentation cycles — longer than industry average, allowing deeper flavour development. All barley is floor-malted on site and hand-turned twice daily. The floor maltings are the first built at a Speyside distillery since 1898, making Dunphail only the second distillery in Scotland (after Springbank) to floor-malt 100% of its production barley. Annual capacity is approximately 200,000 litres of pure alcohol at full production, with approximately 100,000 litres being produced as of 2025.

No whisky is yet available from Dunphail — the first spirit distilled in October 2023 is maturing and will not legally qualify as Scotch whisky until October 2026 at earliest. The distillery has described new make spirit character as "astonishing, fat and fruity." The combination of direct-fired stills, 100% floor-malted barley, long fermentation in Douglas fir washbacks, and the Speyside microclimate suggests a rich, complex, and deeply traditional house style is developing in the warehouses.

The distillery has attracted visitor interest since opening, with positive reviews noted on platforms such as TripAdvisor. Check dunphaildistillery.com for current tour availability and visiting arrangements, as the programme is actively developing.