Steel delivering new Highlands distillery

Located 30 miles north of Inverness in the Averon Valley, the £15M Ardross Distillery is taking shape with the aid of steel construction.

The scheme includes constructing a new two-storey steel-framed main distillery building, which incorporates some retained stone walls from the site’s previous farm complex.

Stone and slate is being salvaged from the old buildings and will be used to rebuild walls and roofs of the development.

Working on behalf of main contractor Morrison Construction, Mackay Steelwork & Cladding is erecting approximately 200t of steel for the project.

Forming the roof of the steel-framed part of the distillery building are a dozen 10.5m-long x 3m-deep trusses, which were brought to site as complete fully-welded sections in order to reduce the amount of on-site work.

“The roof bracings and roof purlins are a bespoke system in that the CHS bracings and hot rolled PFC roof purlins are all within the depth of the primary steel rafters, which results in the bracings stopping and starting either side of the purlins,” said Mackay Steelwork & Cladding Director Neil Mackay.

The Ardross Distillery will produce a variety of spirits and expects to launch its first product onto the market later this year.