Isle of Harris Distillery opened in Tarbert on 24 September 2015 as the first commercial whisky distillery on Harris.1,2,3 Musicologist Anderson Bakewell set up the company behind it in 2007.1,4 All of its whisky goes into single malt.3
Bakewell wanted to bring economic regeneration to a fragile community whose numbers had halved over fifty years.1,4 In 2011 former Glenmorangie director Simon Erlanger joined as managing director designate, with Ron MacEachran, to help raise money from private investors.4 A £1.9m Scottish Government grant in 2012 gave the project its breakthrough.
A precise, straightforward peat profile brings oysters, lemon, seaweed and wool, while the palate adds concentrated lime, salted bitter almonds and a long,…
At the opening, three generations of islanders each placed a block of peat on the fire.1,2,3 On 17 December 2015 Bakewell turned up the steam to the stills, and the first 561 litres filled casks one, two and three.7,9,10 Production manager Kenny Maclean's team then planned to adjust their methods until the new spirit had the character the company wanted.7,9,10
In September 2017 HSBC provided £1.7m to build up maturing single malt stock, while the company's gin helped fund that stock.11 In 2019 work went on to install new Oregon pine washbacks, the vessels where fermentation happens, to expand whisky-making.12 By December 2022 two new warehouses at Ardhasaig, with room for 9,000 casks, were nearly finished, backed by £10m from HSBC UK.13,14,15
Managing director Simon Erlanger was set to retire at the end of September 2025, after 14 years with the company.16 Executive chairman Ron MacEachran said he would oversee the business after Erlanger left.16
Its malt comes from Bairds of Inverness and is lightly peated, at 12-15 ppm.3,17 Its water comes from the Abhainn Cnoc a' Charrain.17 The wort, sugary water from the mash, ferments in Oregon pine washbacks.3,17 Of its fermentations, 40% run a medium 70 hours and 60% a long 120 hours.3,17 Whiskypedia says a cloudy wort and long fermentations give its malt extra layers of flavour.3,17 The wash still and the spirit still are onion-shaped, and Frilli Impianti made the stills in Siena, Italy.3,7 Steam from external heat exchangers heats the stills, and shell and tube condensers turn the vapour back into spirit.3 It can make 230,000 litres of alcohol a year.3
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