Royal Elizabeth Yard: Scotland's Largest Whisky Warehouse

Funding Revitalizes WWII Naval Base for Million-Cask Maturation

British digital bank OakNorth recently announced a significant loan to Royal Elizabeth Yard, supporting the transformation of this 50-acre site into Scotland's largest independent whisky bonded storage facility. Located near South Queensferry, the funds will optimize the financial structure and convert existing sheds into bonded maturation warehouses, providing critical infrastructure support to the industry.

Situated less than 7 miles from Edinburgh city center, the facility—a former WWII naval storage base—offers a superior geographical advantage. Royal Elizabeth Yard has secured permission to develop 830,000 square feet of bonded space. Under the master plan, the fully built-out site is expected to house over 1.1 million casks of whisky. This project not only revitalizes a historic site but adds essential large-scale storage resources to the Scottish Central Belt.

Strategic Location to Address Storage Shortages

Operations manager Alan Wright stated that strong market demand for independent storage allows them to invest flexibly, supporting distilleries and cask owners long-term. Fraser McPhail, Senior Director at OakNorth, noted that while Scotch whisky fundamentals are robust, there is a structural shortage of bonded warehouses. Located near Edinburgh Airport and the Queensferry Crossing, this site is the ideal solution for the storage gap.

Transitioning from industrial use, the facility focuses on professional long-term storage, loading, and compliance services for third parties. The expansion aims to meet the demand for flexible storage from both established distilleries and newcomers, removing the need for heavy capital investment in private construction. OakNorth expressed strong support for future development, remaining optimistic about the long-term whisky storage market.

📅 Release Date: 2026-02-11

🔗 Source: https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-news/scotlands-largest-whisky-warehouse-gets-9-4m-funding/