A businessman behind ambitious plans for a new Highland Perthshire whisky distillery has been banned from the road after drunkenly driving his vintage roadster into the side of a tunnel.
Glen Shee Distillery director Stephen Marlow was spotted by police accelerating away from the Kirkstyle Inn, Dunning, in his 30-year-old Morgan 4/4.
Officers later came across the classic car following a smash on the B8062 Auchterarder road.
Former naval officer Marlow, 64, was found at the scene, smelling of booze and “struggling to stay still”.
He appeared at Perth Sheriff Court and admitted driving while nearly double the legal limit in the early hours of July 8.
Distillery businessman drove off at speed
Fiscal depute Stephanie Hendry told the court: “At about 12.45am, police were on proactive patrol in the Dunning area when they noticed a vehicle parked outside the Kirkstyle Inn.
“At about 1am, they noticed the accused leaving the pub and entering the vehicle.
“It then drove off at speed in the opposite direction and was lost to sight.”
She said: “Constables made attempts to trace the car by carrying out an area search.
“They came across the vehicle which appeared to have crashed into the left hand wall of a tunnel.”
Marlow was spoken to by police at the scene.
“He was safe and had suffered no injuries,” Ms Hendry said.
“There was minor damage to the vehicle, just some indentations and scrapes. The air bags were not deployed.”
The prosecutor said: “Officers noted that the accused appeared to be under the influence.
“There was a smell of alcohol, he was swaying and struggling to stay still.”
Marlow failed a roadside breath test and was taken to Perth Royal Infirmary for a check-up.
At 3.30am, he was breathalysed again with a reading of 39 mics per 100ml of blood.
First offender
Solicitor David Holmes, defending, said: “Mr Marlow has no previous convictions and has never been in difficulties like this before.
“He accepts full responsibility for what took place.
“He lives in a rural area and has been involved with business locally for many years.”
Sheriff Mungo Bovey told Marlow: “I accept that you are a first offender and that this wasn’t the highest reading we have seen.
“However, I am concerned that your driving attracted the attention of police, you were involved in a road accident and you appeared to have been badly affected by alcohol.”
Marlow, of Path of Condie, Forgandenny, was disqualified from driving for a year and fined £1,000.
He can reduce his ban by completing a drink-drive rehabilitation course.
Ambitious plan for distillery
Marlow is listed as sole director of Glen Shee Distillery Ltd, a “non-trading company” previously known as Glen Quaich.
He established the firm in 2015 and launched a hunt for overseas investors – particularly from Asia – to help fund ambitious plans to convert the old Amulree Hotel near Dunkeld into a craft distillery.
According to designs posted online in 2019, the distillery would have included visitor facilities and bedrooms “to facilitate single Malt Scotch whisky enthusiasts’ full brand immersion”.
Glen Shee Distillery’s Linked In account features updated plans for a similar scheme at 18th century farm steading in the Cairngorm National Park.
“Our Glen Shee Distillery will truly put a new mark on the global premium Scotch whisky map,” the page states.
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