Diageo has announced that Port Ellen and Brora, two of its "lost" distilleries, are to be brought back into production. The distilleries, which have been silent since they were closed in 1983, will be brought back into production through a £35m investment. In the 34 years since Brora and Port Ellen closed, the whiskies they produced have become some of the most highly prized liquids in scotch. Diageo says scotch fans have called on it to reopen these dormant distilleries and Diageo's decision is partly a response to those demands from enthusiasts but it also reflects the growth in the single malt scotch market. Port Ellen, on the island of Islay, and Brora on the remote eastern coast of Sutherland, will both be reinstated to distil in controlled quantities, replicating the distillation regimes and spirit character of the original distilleries.
