Blackwood Distillers has so far raised over £2m from private investors and is now close to finalising an extra £3m cash injection from UK and US banks.

Talks are under way with five brokers ­ three in London, one in New York and one in Edinburgh ­ about the possibility of floating the company on the Alternative Investment Market in the autumn of 2007.

Blackwood's chief executive Caroline Whitfield said that the company already has the finance to build the distillery in Unst.

The new money will be used to finance a major marketing drive of the company's range of white spirits in America and China. In America the focus will be on boosting sales in New York, California and Chicago.

The company's range of white spirits - distilled on the Scottish mainland - are already generating sales of £3m a year and selling to 36 countries worldwide.

"It's been a great success so far," said Ms Whitfield. "Our drinks are on sale from the Ice Hotel in Sweden to the Sydney Opera House and from Greenland to Asia."

In the long-term Blackwoods is considering moving production of gin and vodka to Shetland, either to Unst or Nesting.

But its popular Jago's cream liqueur will continue to be made on the mainland because of the highly-specialised equipment needed to produce it.

Blackwoods is also hoping to create an extra income stream next month when an online whisky trading platform is launched.

Set up by New York hedge fund managers in conjunction with Blackwoods, it will allow traders and customers to buy and sell options on the whisky that should start to be distilled in Unst from next spring.

Although similar trading in fine wines has occurred in the past, the new trading platform is believed to be a first for whisky.

Because whisky cannot be sold for at least three years after it is distilled, the online venture will allow Blackwoods to sell the whisky ahead of its release.

Global sales of single malt Scotch whisky are worth £1.8 billion and are growing at 18 per cent a year.

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