Holyrood
Type: Distillery
Malt whisky returned to central Edinburgh in a railway building dating from 1835. Beside Holyrood Park on St Leonard's Lane, Holyrood opened on 30 July 2019, ending a gap in the city centre's malt whisky distilling that stretched back to 1925.[9][1][2] Its first single malt, Arrival, followed in October 2023, taking its name from the building's railway past.[11]
Fact box
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Country | Scotland.[1] |
| Locality | St Leonard's Lane, Edinburgh, beside Holyrood Park.[9] |
| Region | Lowland, a protected Scotch whisky region.[5][10] |
| Founders | Rob and Kelly Carpenter and David Robertson.[1][2] |
| Opened | 30 July 2019.[1] |
| Building | Former railway building dating from 1835, Category B listed.[9] |
| Stills | One wash still and one spirit still, recorded in the sheet checked November 2026.[14] |
| First single malt | Arrival, released in October 2023.[11] |
| Business status | Not reliably established for November 2026. |
| Distilling status | Not reliably established for November 2026. |
| Visitor access | Cannot confirm current access. Guided tours were offered from opening day.[1] |
| Site status | Not reliably established for November 2026. |
A railway building beside Holyrood Park
Holyrood's oldest story belongs to the railway, not to whisky. Built in 1835 as part of the Edinburgh & Dalkeith Railway, the building gave a new distilling venture an established industrial home.[9] That railway identity runs through the distillery's story and into the name of its first whisky, Arrival.[11]
7N Architects designed the conversion, with the stated aim of combining “the old and the new” within the listed building.[8] Holyrood preserves a historic structure while putting it to a different use: a new distillery in an old railway building, rather than an old distillery brought back into service.
The name has an earlier Edinburgh connection, too. An older Holyrood distillery stood at Abbeyhill, near the Palace; the present operation occupies a separate site farther south, beside Holyrood Park.[7] The shared name does not make the modern venture a reopening of those earlier premises.
On the Scotch whisky map, Holyrood belongs to the Lowland region. The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 define Lowland as the part of Scotland south of the statutory dividing line.[10] That places the distillery geographically; it does not describe the barley, yeast or flavour of an individual Holyrood release. Those are better understood through the choices made in production.
From an idea to an opening
The idea began with Rob Carpenter in 2013. A Canadian, he had founded the Canadian branch of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society with his wife, Kelly, before the couple established Holyrood with David Robertson.[1] The Society connection concerns the founders' background; it is not evidence that Holyrood was a Society project.
Robertson brought experience from inside the whisky industry, including previous work at Macallan.[11] Together, the founders combined the Carpenters' involvement with the Society and Robertson's experience at a producer. Their backgrounds help explain the venture's beginnings without turning its eventual opening into a foregone conclusion.
The route from idea to working distillery took several stages. The lease bid was approved in 2015, planning permission followed in 2016, and construction began in 2018.[11] Securing the premises, gaining permission and starting the building work were distinct steps towards opening.
Holyrood opened on 30 July 2019.[1] With it, malt whisky distilling returned to central Edinburgh for the first time since Andrew Usher's Edinburgh Distillery, also known as Glen Sciennes, closed in 1925.[1][2] The achievement was a return to the city centre, within Edinburgh's longer distilling history.
Story box: A railway shed becomes a distillery
Founding story: Rob and Kelly Carpenter and David Robertson founded Holyrood, which opened in Edinburgh in 2019. Rob's idea dated from 2013, following the couple's involvement with the Canadian branch of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Source: Holyrood distillery.
Turning point: Arrival became the first single malt in October 2023. Source: Holyrood Distillery: Edinburgh's New Whisky Distillery in a Railway Goods Shed.
Documented record: The return of malt whisky distilling to central Edinburgh. Source: Holyrood Distillery opens to the public.
Claim: Malt whisky distilling returned to central Edinburgh in 2019 after a gap since 1925.
Verdict: Documented.
What the record shows: Whisky Magazine reported the return to central Edinburgh.[2]
Evidence gap: The record does not establish Holyrood as Edinburgh's first distillery.
Earliest known source: Not reliably established from the supplied record.
Source: Holyrood Distillery opens to the public.
Last checked: Exact date not documented.
What Holyrood is known for
Heritage barley varieties and speciality yeasts sit at the centre of Holyrood's production identity.[11] These are useful starting points for understanding its whisky: particular ingredients and production choices, rather than a flavour assumed from its Lowland address.
The published Founding Series gives that experimental approach a clear shape. Each expression puts a different subject in the foreground, making the series a useful route into the distillery's work.[5]
| Founding Series expression | Published emphasis |
|---|---|
| Embra | Peated whisky.[5] |
| Ambir | Speciality malts.[5] |
| Pitch | Speciality yeast.[5] |
These are production emphases, not tasting notes: they identify what the releases explore, rather than describing their aromas, textures or finishes.
The sheet checked in November 2026 records one wash still and one spirit still.[14] That is the recorded equipment count, while the barley and yeast work describes Holyrood's experimental focus. The two offer different ways of understanding the distillery: the plant used to make the spirit and the ingredients chosen to shape it.
Arrival and the first single malt
Bottled at 46.1% ABV, Arrival takes its name from the railway history of Holyrood's building. Released in October 2023, it was the distillery's first single malt.[11] The name connects the whisky to its premises, giving the first release a link to the site's earlier purpose.
Arrival and the Founding Series offer different ways into the range. Arrival holds the historical place as the first single malt; the named emphases of Embra, Ambir and Pitch make Holyrood's production interests easier to follow.[5][11] These are distinct roles in the story, rather than a ranking of the whiskies.
The business also has a gin brand, Height of Arrows.[11] It forms part of Holyrood's wider output, alongside the separate single malt story.
Production timeline
| Date | Verified milestone |
|---|---|
| 2013 | Rob Carpenter first had the idea for the distillery.[1] |
| 2015 | The council approved the lease bid for the St Leonard's premises.[11] |
| 2016 | Planning permission was granted.[11] |
| 2018 | Construction began.[11] |
| 30 July 2019 | Holyrood opened.[1] |
| October 2023 | Arrival, the first single malt, was released.[11] |
The chronology follows the project from idea to premises, construction and whisky release. The building's 1835 date belongs to the railway history that preceded it.[9]
Two historical claims to keep straight
Holyrood is not Edinburgh's first distillery. Its opening restored malt whisky distilling to central Edinburgh after 1925, as Whisky Magazine reported.[2] The broader claim is Disputed: The Spirits Business described Holyrood as the first single malt whisky distillery in Edinburgh for almost 100 years, while Whisky Magazine limited its account to central Edinburgh.[3][2] The geographical wording is the important distinction.
The modern Holyrood does not occupy the old Holyrood distillery site. The earlier premises stood at Abbeyhill, near the Palace. Today's distillery is farther south, beside Holyrood Park.[7] The shared name makes the connection easy to assume, but these are two separate locations.
Visiting Holyrood
Holyrood's own visitor information places the distillery about a 15-minute walk from the Royal Mile.[13] Guided tours were offered from opening day, making public access part of the project from the outset.[1]
Before travelling, consult the producer's visitor information for booking requirements, accessibility information and tour age rules. Historical opening information is useful context, but it is not confirmation of the arrangements for a particular visit.
Where to go next
- Glenkinchie: explore another Lowland distillery.
- Lindores Abbey: follow a different distillery history.
- Port of Leith: discover more of Edinburgh's distilleries.
Sources
[1] Wikipedia. Holyrood distillery. Undated article, sheet checked November 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holyrood_distillery
[2] Whisky Magazine. Holyrood Distillery opens to the public. Undated extract supplied in the fact sheet, checked November 2026. https://whiskymag.com/articles/holyrood-distillery-opens-to-the-public
[3] The Spirits Business. Holyrood Distillery confirms opening date. Undated extract supplied in the fact sheet, checked November 2026. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2019/07/holyrood-distillery-confirms-opening-date/
[5] VisitScotland Forever Edinburgh. Holyrood Distillery. Undated page, sheet checked November 2026. https://edinburgh.org/meet-edinburghs-makers/holyrood-distillery/
[7] Whisky Magazine. A capital revival. Undated article, sheet checked November 2026. https://whiskymag.com/articles/capital-revival/
[8] 7N Architects. Holyrood Distillery. Undated project account, sheet checked November 2026. https://www.7narchitects.com/projects/holyrood-distillery
[9] The Single Cask. Holyrood Distillery Guide. Undated article, sheet checked November 2026. https://www.thesinglecask.co.uk/blogs/distilleries/holyrood
[10] legislation.gov.uk. The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, regulation 10. Supplied version dated 1 February 2025; sheet checked November 2026. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/2890/regulation/10/2025-02-01?view=plain+extent
[11] Whisky Clan. Holyrood Distillery: Edinburgh's New Whisky Distillery in a Railway Goods Shed. Undated article, sheet checked November 2026. https://www.whisky-clan.com/post/holyrood-distillery-edinburgh-s-new-whisky-distillery-in-a-railway-goods-shed
[13] Holyrood Distillery. Visit Us. Producer's account, undated page, sheet checked November 2026. https://holyrooddistillery.co.uk/visit-us/
[14] WhiskeyAtlas. Holyrood Distillery. Undated entry, sheet checked November 2026. https://www.whiskeyatlas.co.uk/distillery/holyrood
This desk-researched article uses the supplied verified fact sheet and its listed sources, without claiming a visit or tasting.
Last checked: November 2026