£2m conversion turns grain mill into whisky distillery: 5 need-to-know business stories

Hello and welcome to our daily digest of business, financial and economic news from around Scotland.
1. A historic grain mill is to be converted into a Highlands whisky distillery.
Dunnet Bay Distillers plans to revamp the 19th-century Castletown Mill after receiving a £2 million funding package from the bank HSBC.
The stone mill, in the village of Castletown, is to be transformed into a 28,000 sq m facility that will be the home of the Stannergill whisky brand.
Dunnet Bay Distillers, which makes Rock Rose gin and Holy Grass vodka, hopes the site will open in summer next year and create 12 jobs.
Martin Murray, managing director of Dunnet Bay Distillers, said: “This expansion will allow us to create more jobs, restore a piece of our local heritage and continue growing our presence in international markets.
“The restoration of the mill is particularly meaningful to us as it represents both our commitment to the community and our dedication to preserving local history.”
The company sells into 20 markets overseas, including the United States, Germany and parts of southeast Asia. It recently received its first order from China and hopes to make sales in the Philippines.
2. Scotland’s economy has grown in the second quarter of the year after a strong performance from the service sector.
Gross domestic product increased by 0.6 per cent from April to June compared with the previous quarter. It was marginally behind the 0.7 per cent growth for the UK as a whole over the timeframe.
Kate Forbes, the deputy first minister, suggested that the figures “paint a picture of a growing and resilient economy”.
Ian Murray, the Scottish secretary, said the country would play a crucial part in the UK government’s economic growth plans.
3. A new managing director has been appointed at a luxury goods maker whose handbags have been used by the Duchess of Sussex and the Princess of Wales.
Martin Byrne will join Strathberry, which is based in Edinburgh, in November. He was most recently the chief commercial officer at Monica Vinader, the jewellery company, and has also worked at Links of London and Simon Harrison, another jeweller.
Strathberry said it was experiencing export sales growth in the United States, the Middle East and Japan. It plans to more than treble its turnover to £100 million over the next three years.
4. An Australian financial technology firm is to set up a base in Scotland and create more than 60 jobs over the next two years.
Halo Invest, a subsidiary of Halo Technologies, based in Sydney, will open an operations and development centre in Glasgow. The project is being supported by a £800,000 grant from Scottish Enterprise.
Douglas Boyce, previously of Interactive Investor, the trading platform, and FNZ, the fintech firm, is to be the chief executive. He said: “We had the opportunity to locate anywhere in the UK, but Glasgow demonstrated itself as the ideal city for us with its well-established mix of financial services and fintech talent.”
Tom Arthur, Scotland’s employment and investment minister, welcomed the arrival of the company.
5. Work on the Royal Dornoch Golf Club’s new energy-efficient clubhouse is moving forward.
The links course in Sutherland can trace its history back to the 17th century and the club was officially formed in 1877. The clubhouse was built in 1908 and has been refurbished several times over the years.
The new 2,100 sq m will have 136 solar panels as well as battery storage. It will provide modern facilities, including a bar, a restaurant, changing rooms and storage space for the 2,400 members of the club, as well as visitors.
A £5 million funding package has been agreed with Bank of Scotland under its clean growth finance initiative, which provides discounted lending for sustainability projects.