Historic Military Site Reborn as a strategic Whisky Stronghold

Sometimes the most unexpected places find a new role in the whisky world. How about a former Royal Navy storage site from World War II? It’s now set to become a colossal whisky warehouse, thanks to a multi‑million‑pound investment.

For years, a new purpose was sought for Royal Elizabeth Yard near South Queensferry in the United Kingdom. Following a cash injection from investment firm OakNorth, the site is being transformed into Scotland’s largest independent whisky warehouse complex.

The funding will be used to refinance existing debt and convert multiple sheds into bonded warehouses, secure storage where whisky can mature under customs supervision without immediate excise duty being paid.

The site lies less than seven miles from central Edinburgh and has permissions for up to 830,000 square feet of storage space. Once fully complete, it will be able to mature more than 1.1 million casks of whisky.

According to Alan Wright, Head of Operations at Royal Elizabeth Yard, the financing marks a major step toward building the complex into a world-class facility.

The location of this vast whisky warehouse is no accident. Royal Elizabeth Yard sits in Scotland’s Central Belt, close to Edinburgh Airport and the Queensferry Crossing. That makes it an attractive proposition for both producers and investors looking to manage and move their stocks efficiently.

The complex is being repositioned from traditional industrial use to a specialist centre for long-term storage, handling, and regulatory compliance for third parties—directly addressing a structural shortage of independent bonded warehousing capacity in Scotland.

It’s not yet known exactly when the warehouse will be completed and operational. OakNorth has already indicated it is open to further financing for future development on the site.

All signs point to Royal Elizabeth Yard establishing itself as a key location in the expansion of Scotland’s whisky sector, with a clear focus on export.