Harris Distillery — Islands Single Malt Whisky

Isle of Harris Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery located in Tarbert, on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. It was founded in 2015 and is currently owned by Isle of Harris Distillers Ltd. It holds the distinction of being the first legal distillery ever built on Harris, and it produces both a single malt whisky and an award-winning gin flavoured with locally hand-harvested sugar kelp.

History

Plans for a distillery on Harris were first developed in 2011, driven by a desire to create sustainable local employment on an island with a shrinking population and few industries beyond crofting, fishing and tourism. Construction began in spring 2014 at a site in Tarbert overlooking the Isle of Harris ferry terminal, with a total investment of around £10 million, including roughly £2.8 million in support from the Scottish Government and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The distillery officially opened in October 2015, and the first spirit ran from its two copper pot stills, supplied by the Italian coppersmith Frilli Impianti, on 17 December 2015. Because new-make spirit must mature for a minimum of three years before it can legally be called Scotch whisky, the distillery released Isle of Harris Gin in 2015 as its first product to generate early revenue and build a following while the whisky slept in cask. After eight years of maturation, the distillery's flagship single malt, The Hearach, was finally released in autumn 2023, named after the Gaelic term for a native of Harris. Water for production is drawn from the Abhainn Cnoc a'Charrainn, a local stream, and the site has a production capacity of around 230,000 litres of pure alcohol per year. The distillery's visitor centre, built around a peat-burning hearth intended as a communal gathering point for the local community as much as for tourists, has drawn well over 100,000 visitors since opening and has collected numerous industry awards, including Gold at the World Gin Awards for its gin and Double Gold at the International Spirits Challenge in 2024.

Quick Facts

• Region: Islands (Outer Hebrides)
• Founded: 2015
• Owner: Isle of Harris Distillers Ltd
• Status: Active
• Stills: 1 wash still (7,000L) and 1 spirit still (5,000L), copper pot stills by Frilli Impianti

Core Range

The distillery's core range centres on The Hearach Single Malt Scotch Whisky (46% ABV, non-chill filtered and naturally coloured), matured primarily in ex-bourbon casks. Alongside the whisky, the distillery is equally well known for Isle of Harris Gin (45% ABV), a maritime-style gin built around nine botanicals including juniper, coriander, angelica root and cassia bark, and finished with hand-harvested sugar kelp seaweed from the surrounding Outer Hebridean waters, presented in a distinctive blue, wave-embossed bottle.