SCOTTISH Borders Council is being asked to raise a glass to conversion changes at a new whisky distillery in Kelso after a building collapse provided an “opportunity”.

The Grahamslaw Distillery Company is transforming Grahamslaw Farm into a high quality, sustainable distillery producing a traditional Lowland single malt.

The long-term objective is to produce whisky leaving a zero-carbon footprint with an environmental legacy running through all aspects of the distillery, from the energy used to the buildings’ conversion and sustainable farming practices.

Now a planning bid has been submitted to the council to carry out modifications to the design of the already-approved scheme.

A report submitted with the application explains: “The purpose of this application is to show some modifications to the design which have occurred due to the site conditions.

“During the demolition and enabling works contract the walls of the previous Dunnage room partially collapsed and were subsequently condemned by the structural engineer and had to be taken down due to health and safety concerns.

“The team saw an opportunity to open the arches to the courtyard, improving the operation of the distillery and allowing more space for large vehicles.

“This allowed the team to improve the design by relocating the Dunnage to what was previously an ‘Exhibition Barn’, allowing all operations to be viewed from the visitor courtyard and the Lunch Room can be used as an exhibition space, this removes the need for a dedicated ‘Exhibition Barn’.

“In addition, the rebuild cost of the original Dunnage sheds was unsustainable. A consequence of changing the design has seen an increase in natural ventilation requirements to the ‘Dunnage’; three pagoda ventilators have been reduced in size and relocated to the ‘Dunnage’.

“As the project has developed, there have been several other minor changes highlighted within this application, such as the removal of rooflights and the infilling of some openings.”

A unique feature of the farm distillery will be the emphasis on producing authentic ‘field to bottle’ single malt whisky, using only spring barley grown on the 667-acre farm.