Holyrood Distillery - Pitch

Holyrood Distillery challenges the conventions of traditional whisky making by exploring innovative approaches to ingredients and fermentation. While many distilleries rely on conventional yeasts and malts, Holyrood takes a different path. For Pitch, the final release in its flagship collection, the distillery has combined Scotch Pot Malt with Brown Malt—typically found in dark porter beers—and introduced two yeasts commonly used in red wine production, Pepe Nero and Toro Nero. This release is designed to challenge the long-held belief that 80% of a whisky’s flavor comes from the cask, instead emphasizing the significant role that malt and yeast play in shaping the final profile.

Holyrood Distillery

Holyrood Distillery stands as a landmark in central Edinburgh, heralding the revival of single malt production in the heart of the city, a tradition dormant since 1925. Nestled in the historic Old Town beneath the majestic Salisbury Crags, this distillery emerged in 2019, a vision realized by Canadian enthusiasts and Scotch Malt Whisky Society members, Rob and Kelly Carpenter, alongside the esteemed former Macallan master distiller, David Robertson.

Housed within a meticulously refurbished 'engine shed,' once an integral part of the terminus of the Innocent Railway, the distillery exudes an industrial charm, a testament to its heritage. Holyrood Distillery not only contributes to Edinburgh's burgeoning Scotch whisky renaissance but also boasts a distinguished portfolio of artisanal gins and rums, such as the celebrated Height of Arrows and Elizabeth Yard.