Scotland’s Levenbank Distillery is set to introduce the West African grain Fonio to its distilling for the first time, with the launch of a series of grain whiskies.

Fonio is a staple crop in rural communities in countries including Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Senegal, with a root system that means it can grow in harsh environments, typically those that are dry, with poor soil and without irrigation. 

Inspired by recent use of the fonio grain in UK brewing, Dumbarton-based Levenbank is set to fill a small number of single grain casks with fonio at the heart of its malt bill.

Distilling starts in early 2027 and the Levenbank team believes it will bring an element of spice, an all-round smoothness and a hint of red fruits to the whisky. 

The new make spirit will sit alongside the existing single malt and single grain new make spirits currently maturing at the distillery since 2025. 

“Learning more about fonio from its recent uses in UK brewing had us intrigued and we felt that the flavours we could drive from this grain fitted perfectly with our desire to create flavour forward new make spirits. It’s great to be involved in innovations like this which will also see some tangible and positive impacts across the West African farming sector, as it grows in popularity,” said George Wotherspoon, head of sales and development, Levenbank Distillery and Loch Lomond Brewery.  

 The planned release of the first fonio grain whisky bottling will be in 2029 and Levenbank’s first single malt whiskies in 2030.