Abhainn Dearg Distillery — Islands Single Malt Whisky

Abhainn Dearg Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery located at Carnish, near Uig, on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. It was founded in 2008 by Mark "Marko" Tayburn and remains privately owned and operated. It holds the distinction of being the most westerly distillery in Scotland and the first legal whisky distillery to operate in the Outer Hebrides in almost two hundred years.

History

Abhainn Dearg ("Red River" in Gaelic, pronounced roughly "AV-in JER-ack") was established in 2008 by local businessman Mark Tayburn, who converted a former salmon hatchery at Carnish into a distillery and built a new still house alongside it. Production began in September 2008, and two small casks of new-make spirit left the island for the first time in 2010. The distillery released its first single malt, a three-year-old bottling, in 2011 — described as the first single malt whisky produced by a distillery in the Outer Hebrides since 1829. The site draws its process water from Loch Raonasgail via the Abhainn Dearg river, from which the distillery takes its name, and has made a point of sourcing barley grown locally at Goathill Farm, allowing whisky to be produced end-to-end within the Outer Hebrides. The distillery uses a single wash still and a single spirit still, both of distinctive local design, giving it a small annual production capacity of around 20,000 litres. It has become closely associated with the wider revival of small, independent Scottish distilleries since the 2000s.

Quick Facts

• Region: Islands (Outer Hebrides, Isle of Lewis)
• Founded: 2008
• Owner: Mark Tayburn (independent, privately owned)
• Status: Active
• Stills: 1 wash still, 1 spirit still

Core Range

Abhainn Dearg's range centres on single malt Scotch matured on-site, alongside its original new-make style release. Expressions have included the Spirit of Lewis (40% ABV), a 3 Year Old Single Malt (bottled at various strengths including 46%, 56% and 58% ABV), and a 10 Year Old Single Malt (46% ABV). Bottlings are produced in limited quantities and availability varies by release.