Kythe Distillery is a fully independent Scottish distillery, conceived to revive ‘old style’ Scottish single malt whisky for whisky lovers of today, and the future. Kythe commenced production in 2026 and is at the forefront of a movement to consciously revive historic methods of production; to deliberately re-create the levels of quality and distinctiveness of character not seen in Scottish malt whisky production since the 1960s and earlier decades.
Our business model and our philosophy eschew dogmatic focus on yield, efficiency or tourism and we reject a standardisation of character in flavour. Instead, we aim to achieve commercial success and value through the creation of beauty, immense quality and rich idiosyncrasy of character.
Kythe operates with a ruthlessly ideological focus on character, quality and flavour. Every decision taken during construction, and now during production, has been, and remains, with these objectives in mind: ‘what do we need to do here to make the best possible old style highland malt whisky?’
This means using the right ingredients, like locally grown heritage barley in the form of Maris Otter, and carefully sourced and handled spent brewer’s yeast in harmony with old style distilling yeast. It means utilising bespoke, ‘hands on’ production equipment like our open top, manually stirred mash tun, or our specially designed and built directly-wood fired wash still.
We hold ourselves to the standards of the greatest historical whiskies ever created, our objective is consciously to aim for those heights and to measure our success against those quality benchmarks. Our methods are far more inefficient and low-yielding than modern whisky making practices, but we would rather create something that has value, beauty and integrity, than relentlessly pursuing volume and cost saving efficiencies – we believe efficiency is the enemy of character!
Initially conceived back in 2014, Kythe was never just a project born out of the golden era of the whisky market, we never had land or money, this was a passion project rooted in philosophy and ideology. It took a further decade of tireless effort by the Founders, but Kythe finally went into construction in 2024, with commissioning commencing in early 2026 and spirit eventually flowing on July 2nd that year.
Kythe Distillery is a fully independent Scottish distillery, conceived to revive ‘old style’ Scottish single malt whisky for whisky lovers of today, and the future. Kythe commenced production in 2026 and is at the forefront of a movement to consciously revive historic methods of production; to deliberately re-create the levels of quality and distinctiveness of character not seen in Scottish malt whisky production since the 1960s and earlier decades.
Our business model and our philosophy eschew dogmatic focus on yield, efficiency or tourism and we reject a standardisation of character in flavour. Instead, we aim to achieve commercial success and value through the creation of beauty, immense quality and rich idiosyncrasy of character.
Kythe operates with a ruthlessly ideological focus on character, quality and flavour. Every decision taken during construction, and now during production, has been, and remains, with these objectives in mind: ‘what do we need to do here to make the best possible old style highland malt whisky?’
This means using the right ingredients, like locally grown heritage barley in the form of Maris Otter, and carefully sourced and handled spent brewer’s yeast in harmony with old style distilling yeast. It means utilising bespoke, ‘hands on’ production equipment like our open top, manually stirred mash tun, or our specially designed and built directly-wood fired wash still.
We hold ourselves to the standards of the greatest historical whiskies ever created, our objective is consciously to aim for those heights and to measure our success against those quality benchmarks. Our methods are far more inefficient and low-yielding than modern whisky making practices, but we would rather create something that has value, beauty and integrity, than relentlessly pursuing volume and cost saving efficiencies – we believe efficiency is the enemy of character!
Initially conceived back in 2014, Kythe was never just a project born out of the golden era of the whisky market, we never had land or money, this was a passion project rooted in philosophy and ideology. It took a further decade of tireless effort by the Founders, but Kythe finally went into construction in 2024, with commissioning commencing in early 2026 and spirit eventually flowing on July 2nd that year.
Kythe is a distillery founded entirely on principles of old-style brewing and distilling – an approach not widely practiced in Scotland for many decades. Locally grown, low-yielding yet flavoursome and protein-rich heritage barley varieties are our primary ingredient. Their wort undergoes an extended, mixed fermentation ranging from 3 – 7 days in wooden washbacks. With fermentation capacity of up to two weeks built in to allow extensive experimentation and flexibility in this critical part of the flavour creation process. The microbial shuffle of traditional spent brewer’s yeast is balanced by the careful, alcohol creating deployment of original 1950s M strain distiller’s yeast. This fermentation regime was arrived at after extensive revision and archival research into historic Scottish malt whisky production methods stretching back to the 1920s. Drawing specifically from critical production eras at distilleries lauded as the source of some of the greatest examples of old style malt whisky. The objective in all this is to create the building blocks of a luscious exotic fruit flavour in our mature whisky.
This high acidity wash is then distilled by a bespoke engineered, directly wood-fired, 6000 litre wash still: a return to true direct firing in Scotland. Spirit distillation follows in our steam-heated spirit still and each still condenses through a traditional worm tub. Our focus currently is to create and refine a single 'house style' distillate, one with natural variances imbued by seasonal cooling patterns, ingredient variation and the personal techniques of our workforce.
Our carefully sculpted distillate is then filled into a variety of traditional ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. We do not, and never will, fill novelty wine casks. The chief focus over time will be weighted towards gentle refill wood that preserves and foregrounds the inherent beauty and personality of the spirit. Ours is a distillate that has no need to hide behind the weight of overly active oak.
Kythe Distillery is also unique in that it is entirely funded by a group of whisky enthusiasts across the globe. The foundational motivation that has made this distillery a reality is the shared desire of likeminded lovers of old style Scotch whisky to see these flavours created anew.
Kythe is a distillery founded entirely on principles of old-style brewing and distilling – an approach not widely practiced in Scotland for many decades. Locally grown, low-yielding yet flavoursome and protein-rich heritage barley varieties are our primary ingredient. Their wort undergoes an extended, mixed fermentation ranging from 3 – 7 days in wooden washbacks. With fermentation capacity of up to two weeks built in to allow extensive experimentation and flexibility in this critical part of the flavour creation process. The microbial shuffle of traditional spent brewer’s yeast is balanced by the careful, alcohol creating deployment of original 1950s M strain distiller’s yeast. This fermentation regime was arrived at after extensive revision and archival research into historic Scottish malt whisky production methods stretching back to the 1920s. Drawing specifically from critical production eras at distilleries lauded as the source of some of the greatest examples of old style malt whisky. The objective in all this is to create the building blocks of a luscious exotic fruit flavour in our mature whisky.
This high acidity wash is then distilled by a bespoke engineered, directly wood-fired, 6000 litre wash still: a return to true direct firing in Scotland. Spirit distillation follows in our steam-heated spirit still and each still condenses through a traditional worm tub. Our focus currently is to create and refine a single 'house style' distillate, one with natural variances imbued by seasonal cooling patterns, ingredient variation and the personal techniques of our workforce.
Our carefully sculpted distillate is then filled into a variety of traditional ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. We do not, and never will, fill novelty wine casks. The chief focus over time will be weighted towards gentle refill wood that preserves and foregrounds the inherent beauty and personality of the spirit. Ours is a distillate that has no need to hide behind the weight of overly active oak.
Kythe Distillery is also unique in that it is entirely funded by a group of whisky enthusiasts across the globe. The foundational motivation that has made this distillery a reality is the shared desire of likeminded lovers of old style Scotch whisky to see these flavours created anew.
Although our reason for distilling is to create the greatest single malt we are capable of producing, it is important to us that this is done in an ethical and social responsible way. Interestingly, by using a direct wood fire to create the bulk of our distillery’s heat load, we can power the rest of the process with electricity. Our process engineers calculate the CO2 emission from Kythe to be 94% less than a standard kerosene distillery when run from a renewable energy source.
This is not cost effective to install, nor financially savvy to run, there is no off-the-peg designs for wood fire stills nor electric stills of our scale. Everything is designed bespoke for Kythe with environmental ethics at the core of each energy decision.
While the distillery currently has a small workforce, we are dedicated to being an equal opportunities employer and committed to the practices of Fair Work First. The jobs we have created are meaningful, rewarding and lasting – a principle we are dedicated to maintaining as the business grows in future.
Kythe is situated in pre-existing agricultural buildings on a working farm, hence there are no visitor facilities and there isn’t a gift shop, tearoom, gin brand or Instagrammable area.
The Kythe Cask Owner's Programme 2025 was a strong success, with all publicly available casks selling out online in under six hours. If you are interested in participating in the second round, 2026 Cask Owner's Programme, please sign up to our mailing list – this is where you will always hear about any Kythe news and cask sale info first.
Kythe is the result of a lifelong romance with old style whisky, from three friends; Jonny McMillan (left), Aaron Chan (centre) and Angus MacRaild (right), supported by several close friends including Ronnie Cox (below).
Although our reason for distilling is to create the greatest single malt we are capable of producing, it is important to us that this is done in an ethical and social responsible way. Interestingly, by using a direct wood fire to create the bulk of our distillery’s heat load, we can power the rest of the process with electricity. Our process engineers calculate the CO2 emission from Kythe to be 94% less than a standard kerosene distillery when run from a renewable energy source.
This is not cost effective to install, nor financially savvy to run, there is no off-the-peg designs for wood fire stills nor electric stills of our scale. Everything is designed bespoke for Kythe with environmental ethics at the core of each energy decision.
While the distillery currently has a small workforce, we are dedicated to being an equal opportunities employer and committed to the practices of Fair Work First. The jobs we have created are meaningful, rewarding and lasting – a principle we are dedicated to maintaining as the business grows in future.
Kythe is situated in pre-existing agricultural buildings on a working farm, hence there are no visitor facilities and there isn’t a gift shop, tearoom, gin brand or Instagrammable area.
The Kythe Cask Owner's Programme 2025 was a strong success, with all publicly available casks selling out online in under six hours. If you are interested in participating in the second round, 2026 Cask Owner's Programme, please sign up to our mailing list – this is where you will always hear about any Kythe news and cask sale info first.
Kythe is the result of a lifelong romance with old style whisky, from three friends;
Jonny McMillan (left), Aaron Chan (centre) and Angus MacRaild (right), supported by
several close friends including Ronnie Cox (below).
Jonny leads Kythe’s day-to-day production as Distillery Manager. Closely involved throughout the distillery’s construction and commissioning, he now works hands-on across every stage of production, from mashing and fermentation to wood-fired distillation. Along with the distillery team, he is responsible for translating Kythe’s old-style production philosophy into daily working practice and for the continuing development of the distillery’s new make character.
Before founding Kythe, Jonny was Bulk Spirits Buyer at Berry Bros. & Rudd, responsible for acquiring and managing the company’s stocks of maturing whisky, including wood management and cask selection. He also led the company’s work with emerging distilleries around the world, with a particular focus on the Nordic countries, championing producers committed to quality and individual character. As Daftmill’s Brand Manager at Berry Bros. & Rudd, he worked closely with Francis Cuthbert to help shape the brand and select whiskies for bottling.
Angus has spent the majority of his working life involved with whisky. Spending his summers at university working at Ardbeg and Bruichladdich distilleries on Islay gaining an in-depth knowledge of whisky and its culture. Since 2016 Angus has worked independently as a writer, consultant and events specialist. Collaborating with Jonny on the Whisky Show Old & Rare, the world’s most successful and respected rare whisky event. Contributing regularly to Whiskyfun.com, the world’s most influential whisky review site. And since 2018 Angus has also successfully grown his own company, Decadent Drinks, into a hugely successful independent bottling company for which he is a director and head of product creation with oversight of cask selection and label design. Due to his experience and dedication to his trade Angus is now regarded as one of the leading experts in old-style whisky and antique bottlings.
Aaron is the founder of Club Qing, a Hong Kong-based independent bottler which also operates a whisky bar. Aaron developed his passion in whisky around 2008 and rebranded his company Club Qing as an independent bottler in 2015, and has since grown the brand into a well-known independent bottler in Asia. Aaron also co-founded WhiskyNow!, a leading old & rare whisky festival in Hong Kong and is widely considered as an advocate of old-style whisky in Asia.
Ronnie was brought up just 5 miles away from Kythe. After 2 years abroad in the wine trade he has spent 40 years in the Scotch Whisky industry and comes from generations of distillers. The last 25 years he has dedicated to the international marketing of top-end Single and Blended malt whiskies. A passionate advocate of Single Malts, their promotion and their representation overseas he has travelled most of his life building up a useful network of contacts throughout the world.
Until recently Ronnie was the Brands Heritage Director at Berry Bros. & Rudd Spirits; was a Member of the Committee of the Keepers of the Quaich and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Distillers and a past Ambassador of the Year for both Scotland and for the World.
Ronnie will serve as Brand Director Emeritus at Kythe
Head of Production Colas Malaise brings considerable distilling knowledge, exacting standards and diligence, playing a central role in shaping and refining the character of our new make spirit. Operators Ngiam Chee Wang and Saumit Vartak bring their own expertise, as well as care, skill and hard work to the daily life of the distillery. Together, the three form a close-knit team whose judgement and commitment are fundamental to everything Kythe produces.
Jonny leads Kythe’s day-to-day production as Distillery Manager. Closely involved throughout the distillery’s construction and commissioning, he now works hands-on across every stage of production, from mashing and fermentation to wood-fired distillation. Along with the distillery team, he is responsible for translating Kythe’s old-style production philosophy into daily working practice and for the continuing development of the distillery’s new make character.
Before founding Kythe, Jonny was Bulk Spirits Buyer at Berry Bros. & Rudd, responsible for acquiring and managing the company’s stocks of maturing whisky, including wood management and cask selection. He also led the company’s work with emerging distilleries around the world, with a particular focus on the Nordic countries, championing producers committed to quality and individual character. As Daftmill’s Brand Manager at Berry Bros. & Rudd, he worked closely with Francis Cuthbert to help shape the brand and select whiskies for bottling.
Angus has spent the majority of his working life involved with whisky. Spending his summers at university working at Ardbeg and Bruichladdich distilleries on Islay gaining an in-depth knowledge of whisky and its culture. Since 2016 Angus has worked independently as a writer, consultant and events specialist. Collaborating with Jonny on the Whisky Show Old & Rare, the world’s most successful and respected rare whisky event. Contributing regularly to Whiskyfun.com, the world’s most influential whisky review site. And since 2018 Angus has also successfully grown his own company, Decadent Drinks, into a hugely successful independent bottling company for which he is a director and head of product creation with oversight of cask selection and label design. Due to his experience and dedication to his trade Angus is now regarded as one of the leading experts in old-style whisky and antique bottlings.
Aaron is the founder of Club Qing, a Hong Kong-based independent bottler which also operates a whisky bar. Aaron developed his passion in whisky around 2008 and rebranded his company Club Qing as an independent bottler in 2015, and has since grown the brand into a well-known independent bottler in Asia. Aaron also co-founded WhiskyNow!, a leading old & rare whisky festival in Hong Kong and is widely considered as an advocate of old-style whisky in Asia.
Ronnie was brought up just 5 miles away from Kythe. After 2 years abroad in the wine trade he has spent 40 years in the Scotch Whisky industry and comes from generations of distillers. The last 25 years he has dedicated to the international marketing of top-end Single and Blended malt whiskies. A passionate advocate of Single Malts, their promotion and their representation overseas he has travelled most of his life building up a useful network of contacts throughout the world.
Until recently Ronnie was the Brands Heritage Director at Berry Bros. & Rudd Spirits; was a Member of the Committee of the Keepers of the Quaich and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Distillers and a past Ambassador of the Year for both Scotland and for the World.
Ronnie will serve as Brand Director Emeritus at Kythe
Head of Production Colas Malaise brings considerable distilling knowledge, exacting standards and diligence, playing a central role in shaping and refining the character of our new make spirit. Operators Ngiam Chee Wang and Saumit Vartak bring their own expertise, as well as care, skill and hard work to the daily life of the distillery. Together, the three form a close-knit team whose judgement and commitment are fundamental to everything Kythe produces.
There may be opportunities to purchase a cask directly from us in the future. We will not be selling via investment channels, all cask sales will be direct to consumers only. If you would like to hear about this or hear from us in general, please sign up below.
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