| Country | scotland |
| Region | Islands |
| Established | 2024 |
| Owner | MacMillan Spirits Co Ltd (Angus MacMillan) |
| Type | Single malt Scotch whisky distillery (also gin and rum) |
| Number of stills | 2 (1 wash still, 1 spirit still) |
| Visitor center | Yes |
| Status | Active |
| Phone | n/a |
Benbecula Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery located at Gramsdale on the Isle of Benbecula, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. It was founded in 2024 and is currently owned by MacMillan Spirits Co Ltd, the company behind the project's founder, local crofter and businessman Angus MacMillan. It is one of the youngest working distilleries in Scotland, built inside a converted salmon-processing plant and topped with a glass, lighthouse-style stillhouse.
The distillery was the long-held ambition of Angus MacMillan, a Benbecula crofter who had previously played a leading role in the 2006 community buyout of South Uist, Eriskay and Benbecula. The project was first announced in 2020 under the name Uist Distilling Company, before the parent company was renamed MacMillan Spirits Co in 2022. Construction converted a disused salmon farming and processing plant at Gramsdale into a working distillery, with local firm MacInnes Brothers as main contractor and a striking glass-walled, lighthouse-shaped extension - designed in a nod to the 19th-century Stevenson lighthouses that dot the Hebrides - built to house the copper pot stills. The distillery, guided by master distiller Brendan McCarron, produced its first new-make spirit in June 2024. Its planned single malt recipe revives a 19th-century Hebridean mashing and malting method recorded by the Victorian whisky historian Alfred Barnard and once used at distilleries such as Glen Ord and Highland Park, using locally grown bere barley (from MacMillan's own croft, traditionally fertilised with seaweed) alongside local peat and heather in the malting process. The build was supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and a £1.5 million investment from the British Business Bank's Investment Fund for Scotland. A visitor centre opened on site with exhibitions on Outer Hebrides history and culture, and the distillery has already released cask-ownership programmes and limited new-make/blended bottlings while its own single malt matures towards a future release.
As a distillery founded in 2024, Benbecula does not yet have an aged single malt on general release, since Scotch whisky must mature for a minimum of three years. In the meantime the distillery has released its clear New Make Spirit (70% ABV) to showcase house character, alongside the "Wheelhouse Whisky" range - including a limited "Prophecy" bottling that won Best Dram at the Manchester Whisky Festival 2025 - plus Machair Gin and Molucca Rum, produced on site while the first single malt casks mature. Benbecula also runs a cask-ownership scheme, allowing customers to purchase and lay down their own casks of the distillery's maturing spirit ahead of future core-range single malt releases.
Benbecula distillery is located at Gramsdale, Isle of Benbecula, Outer Hebrides, HS7 5QP, Scotland.
Benbecula distillery was founded in 2024.
Benbecula distillery is owned by MacMillan Spirits Co Ltd (Angus MacMillan).
Benbecula distillery is from Islands, scotland.
Yes, Benbecula distillery welcomes visitors.
You can buy Benbecula whisky at Glenbotal.co.uk. We currently stock a selection with free UK delivery on orders over £99.
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About Glenbotal
The idea of Glenbotal came to us naturaly: as whisky lovers, we were always on the lookout for new experiences in the whisky world. That’s why we created Glenbotal and became our very own first customers. We buy unique and hard to find spirits from auctions, ballots, and private collections. Then, we share them with a small circle of friends and people who can appreciate a good dram.