WARRINGTON-based Kemtile has laid the foundations for one of the most head-turning development projects in the Scottish Highlands for decades – providing a “best in the world” flooring solution for the first distillery to be built in Inverness for 130 years.
As the UK’s leading specifier and installer of hygienic flooring for processing industries, Kemtile were selected to handle the specifications for the revolutionary £7 million Uilebheist brewery and distillery located in the heart of Inverness, the capital of the Scottish Highlands.
Powered by the water from the nearby River Ness, Uilebheist has been designed as a low carbon facility – utilising heat pumps within the adjoined sustainability centre. The process will be the first of its kind in Scotland and further development stages are planned which will see significant expansions to the site which adjoins the Glen Mhor Hotel complex.
Both beer and Single Malt Scotch Whisky will be made within the distillery’s fantastically-designed interior – with owner Jon Erasmus recruiting Kemtile to assist with the design over the summer of 2022.
As a specialist installer of Uilebheist’s preferred choice of Argelith tiles, Kemtile was an obvious choice for building partner.
Following a very specific brief and working closely in collaboration with Karen Maxwell from Four By Two Design; Michael MacDonald at Colin Armstrong Architects; and Peter Moore from Compass Building & Construction Ltd, the Kemtile team installed 400m2 of Argelith Hex tiles in Anthracite with mid-gray inserts, alongside 125m2 of Protecorseal wall coating.
Uilebheist said that getting the floors right in distilleries and breweries was incredibly important for hygiene, efficiency and safety and called Kemtile’s solution “fantastic” and the “best brewery/distillery floor in the world”.
Kemtile’s Mark Appleton stated: “The team that were involved with the design of the floor set high standards and were very specific about what they and the client wanted.
“With our guidance and tiling expertise we were able to deliver an installation that ticked all the boxes.”
Uilebheist owner, Jon Erasmus said: “It has been a pleasure working with the entire team from Kemtile and given their proven track record and expertise they were the clear choice from the outset. For us it is not only a high end practical floor, but a statement of design intent that adds value to our overall aesthetic and we look forward to welcoming visitors to the site early in 2023.”
