Bringing Rosebank Distillery back to life in Falkirk was 'once in a lifetime opportunity'

Six and a half years later, on the cusp of its reopening to the public, he talks exclusively to the Falkirk Herald.

“Rosebank closed in 1993 because the industry capacity was significantly higher than market demand,” he says. “It was a sad time for the whole industry.” Blended Scotch was in trouble, while single malts had yet to take off.

“I remember working on Southern Comfort in the mid-80s, whose sales were then bigger than the entire single malt market in the UK,” he says.

“There was also the argument, or excuse, that Rosebank had reached the point where it required an expensive up-grade. Years later, after it had shut, I read several articles about what a shame it was that many of the smaller, less efficient distilleries were closed in favour of the larger, more industrialised ones.”

While Diageo owned the Rosebank name, the site had been sold to what is now Scottish Canals in 2002 on the understanding that no whisky was to be distilled there for a set period.

On hearing the ban was due to expire, Leonard decided to investigate. “I drove past it to have a look with my son, Olly. I remember it was all boarded up with a ‘For Sale’ sign, which I think had been there for a while. That’s where the whole plan came from.”

Ian Macleod bought the name and the site, and began the painstaking process of restoring Rosebank to its former glory. “Being such a constrained, town centre site with an existing building, we knew it was going to cost more than starting afresh on a larger greenfield site,” he says. “But, as my grandmother always said, ‘if you’re going to do something, do it properly,’ so, we did.”

Building work ground to a halt with the pandemic, and a collapsed wall led to a redesign and further delays.

“And when we restarted everything cost more, but I don’t look back with any regrets, it was bound to take time,” he says.

While in terms of the response from locals: “They’ve all been great. Everyone within the Falkirk community including the council have been very supportive.”

For their part, Falkirk residents were balloted to be the first to visit the new distillery, and apparently a staggering 4500 applied.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the response,” he says.

“We are looking at how best to engage with more local people than originally planned.”

As well as providing jobs for tour guides and in the wider economy by boosting tourism to the town, the visitor centre will make the distillery come alive.

“Getting a load of visitors round is really going to make the place buzz again,” says Leonard. “When I first saw it, it was in such a sad, dilapidated state with most of doors crow-barred open, and it was full of pigeons.

"To see it revived and packed with people will make me very proud.”