The Hearach

SCOTCH SINGLE MALT WHISKIES > H

Isle of Harris

THE SOCIAL DISTILLERY

ISLE OF HARRIS GIN

FIND OUR SPIRIT

THE HEARACH SINGLE MALT

THE DISTILLERY HARRIS TWEED PART 1.

The Orb Mark, a guarantee of provenance and product. Image © Harris Tweed Hebrides

Those of you who follow our story closely will know about our Harris Tweed Project, an exploration of the craft and creativity behind this iconic island cloth.

This time last year, we set out to discover more about the art of weaving and the skills of the people and mills who help bring this historic textile into being.

With the help of Harris Tweed Hebrides, the Harris Tweed Authority and our islands’ education services we’ve worked closely with schools and pupils across the islands to design a new Isle of Harris Distillery Harris Tweed pattern.

Freshly dyed pure new wool. Image © Harris Tweed Hebrides

The first phase of the project culminated at the start of this summer with the announcement that the work of young Scott Murray from Sir E Scott School in Tarbert had been chosen from over 150 entries to be the basis for this exciting creation.

Scott’s ideas have now been interpreted into a real pattern design and work has been underway to bring his concept to life at the Shawbost mill, home of Harris Tweed Hebrides the leading producer of this beautiful material.

Our tweed’s journey now begins with pure new wool, shorn from Cheviot sheep, a breed well-recognised on crofts across the Outer Hebrides. Bales of this natural, soft, white fleece form the basis of every inch of Harris Tweed.

Loosely blended wool colours. Image © Harris Tweed Hebrides

Harris Tweed is dyed in the wool, as a myriad of colours is imparted to this raw material in large steaming vats. From traditional moorland browns and greens to bright rust oranges, heather purples and sky blues, there is a rainbow of natural hues to draw from.

These individual bagged batches can then be combined according to the yarn-maker's recipe to create a complex blend of tones and shades. The wool is then tossed and tumbled in warm air to mix them together.

This wonderful melange is then transported to the sharp-toothed rollers of the carding machine, where the wool is gradually teased into a finer, embryonic yarn, the disparate colours now effortlessly intertwined into a cohesive whole.

Fragile wool from the carding machine. Image © Harris Tweed Hebrides

The emerging strands of wool at this point still remain incredibly fragile and can be pulled apart with ease. But, when placed in skilled hands and the speeding whirr of the spinning frame, strength is suddenly imparted.

The simple act of twisting transforms the wool into a useable thread which can be wound onto tall bobbins in a long wall of activity kept under a watchful eye. Each bobbin holds hundreds of meters of spun wool ready to meet the challenges of the weaver's loom.

Finally, there is the business of warping, as a web of different yarn threads is arranged in exact order and carefully wound onto a long metal beam following the demands by our specific pattern.

The spinning frame. Image © Harris Tweed Hebrides

This heavy beam and several bags of bobbins comprise the key ingredients for the next stage of our Harris Tweed journey. Accompanied by a coded design card, these components have now been delivered to our chosen hand-weaver here in Harris.

Every part of this age-old process has taken place in the Outer Hebrides where the Harris Tweed Act of 1993 legally binds the making of the cloth. This unique set of laws has ensured not only deep provenance but also protected skilled jobs for hundreds of hard-working men and women within our island community.

The ‘social distillery’ is a true island distillery, run by the local community for the local community. All the cows on Harris are fed for free on the distillery’s draff; work experience placements are offered to school children during the summer; local artists’ work feature within its walls and the visitor centre plays home to book readings.

The only style of whisky fit for a distillery like this is a complex island malt, lightly peated with additional layers of flavour from a cloudy wort and long fermentations. Of course maturation takes place completely on the island, predominantly in ex-Bourbon casks with some oloroso Sherry butts.

The single malt will be bottled as The Hearach (a Harris islander), which won’t be ready for some time, but expect it to be full-bodied, fruity and with a touch of that salty, windswept Hebridean character island malts are famous for.

The Isle of Harris distillery officially opened in September 2015, though the story of the Hebridean island’s first commercial distillery begins several years earlier.

Musicologist Anderson Bakewell, who owned a property on the neighbouring island of Scarp, was troubled by the dwindling population of Harris, an island he cared deeply about. Despite not being an avid fan of whisky, he sought to build the island’s first distillery in Tarbert, the island’s capital and ferry link to Skye. His plan was to create a business that not only involved the local community but also provided an attractive long-term employment solution for Harris residents.

Not long after selecting a site on the main north-south road through Tarbert, Bakewell’s project secured the largest public grant awarded to a food and drink business in Scottish history. Further grants and private investments soon flooded in from all over the world.

Upon opening, Isle of Harris distillery employed 10 workers, a number that has since risen to over 20.

While the team is adamant it won’t release its first official bottling ‘until it’s ready’, expect to see an NAS expression rolled out in limited quantities around 2020.

Until then, the distillery produces and bottles Harris gin, which is made with nine botanicals that ‘capture the elemental nature’ of the island.

CAPACITY (MLPA) i

400.000 Ltrs

CONDENSER TYPE i

Shell and tube

FERMENTATION TIME i

72-120 hours

FILLING STRENGTH i

63.5% abv

GRIST WEIGHT (T) i

1.2

HEAT SOURCE i

Steam from external heat exchangers

MALT SPECIFICATION i

12-14ppm for core expression

MALT SUPPLIER i

Bairds of Inverness

MASH TUN TYPE i

Semi-lauter

NEW-MAKE STRENGTH i

69% abv

SINGLE MALT PERCENTAGE i

100%

SPIRIT STILL CHARGE (L) i

4,000

SPIRIT STILL SHAPE i

Onion

SPIRIT STILL SIZE (L) i

5,000

STILLS i

WAREHOUSING i

On-site warehouse in Tarbert;

off-site warehouse in Ardhasaig

WASH STILL CHARGE (L) i

6,000

WASH STILL SHAPE i

Onion

WASH STILL SIZE (L) i

7,000

WASHBACK SIZE (L) i

6,000

WASHBACK TYPE i

Oregon pine

WASHBACKS i

WATER SOURCE i

Abhainn Cnoc a’Charrainn

WORT CLARITY i

Partially cloudy

YEAST TYPE i

Lallemand dried

A BHEIL GÀIDHLIG AGAIBH?

It’s the sound of the peat banks and sheep fanks and can be heard in homes across the Outer Hebrides. It can be discerned in village shops, streets and schools across our islands and, if you listen closely enough, in our distillery too.

Scottish Gaelic is our beautiful native language, and Harris is one of the rare places in the world it continues to survive. Its rich words and rhythms are inextricably tied to island culture and identity in ways that are, ironically, often hard to articulate.

Whether used to share a good bit of gossip or sing loudly at the local Mòd, Gaelic is quite simply part of life here. Indeed, a quick poll of the Tarbert team shows that around half of our staff speak it fluently.

So, as our distillery story continues, we felt it was time to introduce more Gaelic into our work and share a little of it with visitors here at the distillery and our more far-flung friends online.

While we won’t try to turn anyone into a fluent speaker anytime soon, we hope many of you may enjoy learning some simple phrases and perhaps be inspired to discover more about the language in your own time.

To begin with, we’re delighted to announce that we’re now offering monthly tours of the distillery conducted entirely in Gaelic and led by our popular local guide Marie ‘MM’ Morrison.

Whether you’re already a Gaelic speaker, currently learning the language, or can’t tell the difference between a ‘tha’ and a “chan eil”, we think you’ll enjoy this immersive experience with her.

We’ll also be providing our guests with a lovely keepsake card explaining some of the key words they’ll encounter along the way, helping them to understand and pronounce mysterious words like eòrna, stail, mòineand, of course, uisge-beatha.

You’ll find Gaelic appearing more often in our Facebook posts, Tweets and even at the distillery, on places like tour tickets and till receipts. We plan to share more music, poetry and prose in the language too.

So, the next time someone says to you “A bheil Gàidhlig agaibh?” you might feel confident enough to reply “Beagan!” But don’t worry if not, sharing an excellent dram with a confident “Slàinte mhath" will surely suffice for now!

Tha sinn a' coimhead air adhart ri fàilte bhlàth a chuir oirbh chun a chiad turas Ghaidhlig againn aig an Taigh-staile. Tha sinn an dochas gun còrd e ribh ar sgeulachd a'chluinntinn agus cuideachd gun còrd e ribh druthagde spiorad ar n-eilean òl nuair a thig sibh còmhla rinn. Chì sinn a dh'aithgheàrr sibh!

THE FIRST LEGAL DRAM FROM HARRIS

THE INFLUENCE OF AN ISLAND

The people from Pabbay, a small island off our western coast, could once boast of the uisge beatha which flowed from their hidden stills far from the exciseman's eyes.

These days are sadly long gone and the wee island now lies empty of both whisky and anyone to make it.

Today, we're proud to be reviving the tradition of Harris distilling almost 170 years later here in Tarbert.

Like the Hearaich themselves, our malt whisky is a conversation between nature and nurture, with two powerful parents, each influencing the dram in their own unique ways.

Firstly, there are the elements of Harris itself.

We're making The Hearach from the softest of Outer Hebridean waters, the fast-flowing stream from which it flows, Abhainn Cnoc a ’Charrain, running over the oldest rocks on earth.

And then there's the environment in which it all takes shape, a place swept by the Gulf Stream and Atlantic storms.

For all its wildness, the island is not always a savage place.

Those infamous winds keep the summer cool and in winter snow rarely lies except on the heights of the mighty Clisham mountain, helping to ensure that, despite all odds, we have a climate which is perfectly balanced for whisky maturation.

CHAOS IN THE CASKS

THE WONDERS OF WOOD

The second parent is the long, complex process of spiritual interaction with wood.

We take the sourcing of our casks very seriously, using only the best bourbon barrels from carefully chosen distillers in Kentucky and sherry butts from a single Spanish bodega.

We are also experimenting with full maturation in Pennsylvanian rye casks and Sauternes-style barrels from Bordeaux.

This focus on good wood will have a profound influence on the hue and expression of The Hearach as it resides in our warehouse by the shores of Loch an Siar near the village of Ardhasaig over the coming years.

Our distillers have been cutting peat by hand at 'Cleite Mhòr', an area of South Harris where peat has been cut for generations. These decayed remnants of ancient forests have been used to malt some of our barley for a more heavily peated expression of our dram.

The final results remain to be seen but, rest assured, our first whisky will be free from chill-filtering and naturally coloured, embodying all the character, soul and elemental nature of the Isle of Harris when it's finally ready to drink.

Every drop will have been distilled, matured, and will eventually be bottled, by local people in the Isle of Harris.

LIFE TAKES TIME

A SLOWER APPROACH

As every islander understands, life takes time.

Life here in Harris is lived at a different pace, a culture which has evolved naturally from our distance from big cities and closeness to the rhythms of the natural world.

This less regimented approach to the dictates of the clock is something we bring to our distilling work too.

Our mashing, for example is measured and gentle, the rakes of the mash tun turning slowly to create a lighter wort.

Our fermentation process is unusually long, from 3 up to 5 days, accomodating as it does the distillery's adherence to the island Sabbath with no work on a Sunday.

We're also in no rush to release our first, historic single malt to the world. We'll wait until the right moment to bottle it, when the whisky is at its best and worthy of bearing our island's name.

Exactly when that will be only time and taste will tell.

Meantime, we can tell you that The Hearach single malt whisky promises to be an Outer Hebridean dram of distinction.

Medium peated, to evoke the the gentle whiff of village fires, it will combine spirit drawn from both our bourbon and sherry barrels in careful balance.

Complex and full of Isle of Harris character, we look forward to sharing a glass with you someday soon, but not too soon...

" We know we can’t rush the seasons and have always been more dictated by natural rhythms than by the stopwatch. There’s a great appreciation of this idea I think and so what gets done in the distillery will not be rushed, we’d rather do it right.”

Kenny Maclean, Head Distiller.

AUTUMN DAWNS

While we are never guaranteed anything, this time of year often brings pleasures of its own...

Sunrises seem to be the first sign of change, as we wake to find the morning sky ablaze. It’s something our early-rising distillers will notice from the windows of our east-facing Spirit Hall as they start their working day.

The days are shortening swiftly too with the sun-setting not long after seven pm, bringing the blessing of black skies and a blanket of stars when the clouds finally clear. And, with darker nights comes a rare promise to see the northern lights of the Fir Chlis.

With all the rain we’ve endured after one of the wettest summers on record, the grasses of mountains and moor remain a lush green. Good news for local livestock who lazily graze across crofts and hills.

But, the ferns are fading and the heather is losing its purple bloom, the machair flowers dwindle and the few trees we have are beginning to turn to red, russet and gold.

Birds which have spent the breeding season in the higher parts of the northern hemisphere migrate overhead, heading south for the winter, many stopping off with us en route. Others, like the Great Skua, will be leaving our own shores, bound for the warmer climes of North Africa.

The last of the summer’s bounty of mackerel and herring is being enjoyed by the local cetaceans and seals. The latter are often seen lounging on in-shore rocks, backs bent like bananas, enjoying the last warm rays of the sun while they still can.

Nearby, our Sugar Kelp diver Lewis Mackenzie can be spotted piloting his small boat, pulling up a lobster pot or two and gathering what we need to see our Isle of Harris Gin through the winter. During the colder months, he leaves the seaweed to rest and regrow ensuring a sustainable harvest.

Here at the distillery, we can sense the season change too, as the number of visitors eases after a very busy few months. Our Tour times will change in October and soon the Canteen soups will feel heartier as the peat fire blazes high.

But, no matter what time of year it is, our distilling remains undaunted and we’re always working hard, making our gin and filling oak casks of new-make whisky spirit.

We recently took delivery of some more beautiful Oloroso casks from Spain and in return shipped lots of Isle of Harris Gin to Switzerland, France, Italy, and New Zealand.

The team here in Tarbert remain busy sharing our spirit and story and extending a warm Harris welcome to everyone who continues to join us at the distillery.

Our ambassadors do likewise far from our shores, and if you happen to be in London this weekend, look out for our special Seafood Supper and gin tasting at The Cleveland Arms.

But, if you can’t be with us in person please stay in touch across our social media channels. Meantime, let’s raise a glass to this fine time of year, as our island calendar continues to unfold.

THE KELP BOOM

Earlier this year we began our Diaspora Project, a slow and meditative look at the roots of population decline here in the Outer Hebrides. Under the auspices of our ‘Always Learning’ value, we’ve set out to explore the history of Harris to better understand the stories which underpin many of the issues our island community faces today.

Beginning with the earliest emigrants, driven west to America in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden, we discovered the first painful changes from the communal clan system to the harsher realities of commerce as capitalism began to take hold here at the end of the 19th century.

Initially, it was the ‘silver darlings’ of the sea which brought financial success to our island under a businessman called Captain Alexander Macleod who bought the Isle of Harris in 1779 from an indebted clan chief. His vision was to transform the local seasonal fishing activity into a big industry, catching and curing herring to be sold at market.

His economic experiment worked wonderfully for a time until the herring shoals did what they always seemed to do every few years…and just disappear. Luckily, for our islanders anyway, the French Revolution had begun, and the humble kelp seaweed was to prove a new way to survive and thrive.

Up until now the seaweed around our shores was mainly harvested by islanders to help fertilise their crops and feed livestock. That was all about to change as the wars with France saw Britain increasingly isolated from international trade and essentials like glass and soap became challenging to produce.

This new demand was to be met by seaweed which when burned produces soda ash, eagerly sought after by the chemical industries of the time. Harris had limited natural resources, but this particular marine plant was abundant, and a new industry soon sprung up as kelp farming and burning began in earnest.

Local landowners quickly cashed in on demand, ensuring that every scrap of seaweed from the shores be sent for burning into this useful potash instead of fertilising fields.

They urged islanders to move from the more pastoral west coast of Harris to the rugged eastern shores to gather and process kelp to help pay their rents. It was hard and dirty work with many tonnes collected by hand and dried, before being pounded and burned in round, stone-lined kelp kilns.

The fires would pour acrid smoke for hours until a dark, oily substance emerged which was then left to cool before being shipped off to mainland factories. The relocated kelp workers soon found their farming lands left neglected, starved of labour and the nutritious seaweed which usually gave life to their crops.

But the population swelled, and money flowed into the island once more. However, the real wealth often ended up in the pockets of others. The green goodness around our shores had become so valuable that the landlords of Harris and neighbouring North Uist even fought a legal war over the salty stuff. An angry dispute arose over ownership of a particular set of rocks in the Sound of Harris, a stretch of water which divides our two islands.

The rocks themselves were utterly worthless on their own, but the kelp which clung to them was worth its weight in gold! The courtroom drama finally hinged on whether or not someone from Uist could walk out to the rocks at low tide. If they could, then they could claim them, if not they belonged to Harris.

The men from Uist did their best, going as far as to drag their own rocks out to sea and act as stepping stones to reach their goal. But, the men from Harris, who claimed a boat could sail through the channel at its lowest ebb, were proved right and so ownership, and the precious seaweed, went to our island and remains so to this today.

All this angst and effort was soon to be proved in vain. Just as with the herring boom which preceded it, the kelp boom was to come to an end, and with it more hard times for Harris

THE DIASPORA PROJECT

One of the defining aims of the Isle of Harris Distillery is to address the pressing issues surrounding population decline here in the Outer Hebrides.

During the 1950s, nearly 4000 people lived in Harris but today the number is half that, a figure reflected in The 1,916 endeavour.

The stark trend continues to this day, as we continue to face acute economic challenges, an ageing community and young people leaving to seek work and opportunity elsewhere with few financial reasons to return.

But, this is not a new phenomenon and the roots of our island’s struggle to survive and thrive lie some 250 years in the past when Harris was a very different place.

The 'Hercules' which carried 93 Harris people to Australia in 1852.

From the mid-1700s until the turn of the 20th century, there has been a succession of key trials and tribulations in our Hebridean history, pushing and pulling people from our shores.

Thousands of island emigrants have departed Harris in search of a better life, leaving their homes and often families behind, to seek new opportunities across the world

From Cape Breton to Carolina, Patagonia to the Prairies, the Falklands to the Philippines, men and women of Harris have sailed far and found homes in almost every corner of the world.

And with them, they took their clan names, like Macleod and MacDonald, Morrison and Maclennan, MacKinnon, MacAskill and more…

Waving off the 'Metagama

Waving off the 'Metagama" ship which took 300 Hebrideans to Canada in 1923.

So, tonight we launch The Diaspora Project to tell their incredible stories and share the history which underlies the distillery’s founding goal.

We also want to discover our international connections, old and new, as we search for far-flung island friends and family and bring them closer to their Harris heritage.

It promises to be a long and fascinating exploration of the past but always with an eye on a positive future. It may also be a painful story at times, but not one we’ll shrink from telling.

We’re grateful to be supported in this project by the wonderful Bill Lawson from the Seallam centre in nearby Northton. His lifetime of invaluable knowledge and research will be our guide as we go.

A new interactive online map will be a repository for the stories we uncover together, and we hope to watch it grow as we trace the epic voyages and the adventurous souls who made them over the last two centuries.

We invite you to share your Isle of Harris connections with us too. If you, your parents, grandparents or great-grandparents have ties to our island then we’d love to hear from you.

Tell us all about your familial links to our island home, and we’ll add your story to the map along with any photographs or information you’re happy to share.

And, if you’d like to research your ancestry to discover more, then we highly recommend visiting Bill’s genealogy website at www.hebridespeople.com to undertake a more personal Diaspora voyage of your own.

So, please join us on our social media channels and here on the Journal as we begin to set the historical scene.

The Battle of Culloden is over, the old clan system has collapsed and faced with rising rents the first Harris folk leave for North America. A war courtesy of Napoleon is coming, but kelp seaweed promises new prosperity…

THE EARLY EMIGRANTS

We built our distillery with a founding aim of addressing the issues surrounding endemic population decline here in the Outer Hebrides.

Over the centuries, thousands of islanders have departed these shores never to return again, leaving behind family, friends and an ageing community faced with ever-dwindling numbers.

Our Diaspora Project sets out to understand the history of these emigrations, sharing the incredible stories of the men and women who sailed from here and hopefully help us connect with some of their families still scattered across the world today.

The story begins almost 300 years ago, at the turn of the 18th century when the Isle of Harris was a very different place. The village of Tarbert where our distillery now stands held less than a handful of houses and the road to these doors would have been travelled by sea rather than land.

The population was settled mainly on the fertile machair lands of the western shores, and on nearby islands like Pabbay, Berneray and Taransay. Here, potatoes, oats and barley were grown, fishing was commonplace and cattle kept for milk and meat.

For centuries, Harris was ruled by the chiefs of the clan Macleod from castles at Dunvegan and Pabbay, a religious centre at Rodel and their hunting grounds in the forests of North Harris. But times were changing, and the old clan system built on the bonds of kinship and rent paid in kind rather than cash was in decline.

In 1745 the infamous Jacobite rising and struggle for the British throne culminated in the Battle of Culloden a year later. In the aftermath, the old clan chiefs began to act more like landlords than leaders as they chose to value money over the lives of the men and women who lived on their estates.

As rents in Harris rose and land-rights went to the highest bidder, it was the local farmers or 'tacksmen' who felt the pressure of this new regime first. One such farmer was Donald "Domnhall Iain Oig" Campbell from nearby Scalpay.

Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie). 1720 - 1788

Donald was best remembered for discovering the fugitive 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' at his door seeking shelter while fleeing Culloden in 1746. Finding the obligations of Hebridean hospitality more important than a reward for his capture, Donald gave him shelter and chased away a local minister who arrived with soldiers to claim the £30,000 bounty.

But, Donald was soon faced with painful rent increases being sought by his landlord, MacLeod of Dunvegan, and determined them to be more than his farm was worth. So, leaning on historic Harris ties to the tobacco trade in Virginia, the prospect of a new life in America became far more appealing.

In the 1760s he became one of our island's earliest recorded emigrants, leaving with his family along with many of his sub-tenants to Cumberland County in North Carolina, finally settling at a place called Mclendon's Creek. He was followed by his son-in-law Alexander MacLeod from Pabbay in 1774.

Donald Campbell's home island of Scalpay, just a few miles from our distillery in Tarbert.

Others were undertaking this long journey to the new world too, pushed by economic circumstance and pulled by the promise of a better life far from their Outer Hebridean homes.

It was to become an all too familiar story for islanders over the coming century.

Join us next time, as we continue to explore the roots of population decline here in Harris and the reasons which lie at the heart of our distillery's driving purpose to help our community survive and thrive.

Taking some time to reconnect in isolation. Luskentyre, Isle of Harris.

This week brought the sad, but inevitable, news of the first coronavirus cases here in the Outer Hebrides. After weeks of watching its spread across the UK, it was only a matter of time until it reached our shores. Despite this, it still felt like a shock.

Along with Orkney, we were the last part of the country to be affected and our island community is grateful to have been afforded the extra time to prepare and take every precaution.

Here in Harris, we're used to a little adversity, shops being in short supply, and protracted periods of isolation which can be commonplace during long winters and bad weather. But, few of us have faced a situation like this before and we will be sharing many of these new and unique challenges along with you

But, perhaps we can help with a few simple island truths gleaned from lessons learned over the years?

Community is everything at times like these, and life is much easier when we face our difficulties together. If you don’t know your neighbours, now is the time to get acquainted. Self-reliance is a wonderful thing but we believe that a helping hand is never far away, so don’t be afraid to ask or extend your own.

As all good village gossips will agree, it’s good to talk! These days we might be swapping those vital bits of local news by phone, Facetime and Whatsapp but the fact remains that staying in touch with friends and family every day helps us feel more connected and in control.

We miss the face-to-face gossip, but online works!

News updates before the days of social-distancing! Tarbert, Isle of Harris.

With lambing season upon us, every crofter knows that new life takes time, and sometimes the best thing to do is to let things unfold until such time you can take action. Every storm will inevitably pass, so take heed of the experts' advice, stay stoic, stay safe and spend time making plans to pick up the pieces when the clouds finally clear.

We believe nature is a great healer, and many of us here are blessed with the space to walk and wander for our daily dose of physical exercise. But even going out into the garden, feeding wildlife from your window ledge, or just grabbing fresh air from the green heart of a city can all help raise spirits a little higher.

Look after your mental health while in isolation too. While transcendental meditation might not be something we Hearaich tackle every day, it’s certainly a good idea to be more mindful. Many here will turn to their bible and prayers for comfort while others will simply try to breathe a little more deeply. Not every day has to be a success, sometimes it’s enough to just…be.

Finally, there’s always music to lift the soul! We’ve been curating and sharing our favourite tracks and tunes among the distillery team and will be releasing our selections online over the coming weeks in some special cèilidh albums.

As all our lives are put on hold at this unusual time in history, the Isle of Harris stands with you wherever you are in the world. We know you’ll continue to adapt and overcome in true island spirit and we look forward to raising a glass with you again soon.

Until then, we wish you good health, or as we say in our native Gaelic, slàinte mhath!

Isle of Harris Distillery

THE SOCIAL DISTILLERY

ISLE OF HARRIS GIN

THE HEARACH

JOURNAL

A MESSAGE FROM THE M.D.

Posted on 10 April, 2020

Simon Erlanger, managing director.

Dear friends in spirit,

It’s hard to believe that just 3 weeks ago we were as busy as ever, our team of 36 working hard to prepare for the upcoming tourist season, opening up new international markets for our gin, developing some exciting new initiatives and dealing with a leaking condenser on one of our whisky stills.

Little did we know!

Today the distillery is largely silent, with just 3 people fulfilling online and export orders in separate parts of the building and preparing ethanol for conversion into hand sanitiser.

Everyone else is on furlough leave or working from home. Those working from home are keeping busy, carrying out administrative tasks and staying in touch with our customers around the world.

This is the Social Distillery! Community, looking out for each other, lending a hand, all are second nature on the island, not values which now have to be re-discovered. At the same time, being isolated every so often and needing to adapt to changing circumstances is simply what we do in Harris.

Nonetheless, I have been astonished at how the team have risen to this challenge. They know that we are all in this together and that we are facing this as one big family.

They know that we will manage through this one day at a time. Daily, weekly and fortnightly check-ins with everyone, using a variety of technologies, keep everyone feeling connected and cared for.

At the same time, we are already starting to look to the future, considering what the next month, the next 3 months and eventually what the ‘new normal’ might look like.

We will use our Purpose and Values for guidance and the spirit of cooperation that has got us to where we are today. And meanwhile, we keep safe, look out for our neighbours and continue to stay connected as best we can.

Wherever you are, I hope you have what you need to get through this and are able to adapt to a pace of life that is perhaps more akin to what we have always known on the Isle of Harris.

Good health to you all

For the last 10 weeks, these Journals have been written and sent from a quiet corner of Scalpay, a tiny island joined to Harris by a bridge. Holding around 200 people and just two and a half square miles in size, it's also home to me, the Harris Distillery storyteller, as I try to keep you connected to our work through these difficult times.

It’s proven to be a strangely calm corner of the world while others face hard struggles elsewhere. The annual influx of tourist cars and campervans is absent this year, keeping the roller-coaster, single-tracked roads eerily silent, but the natural world has quickly stepped in to fill the void.

These new confines have offered a rare chance to watch the seasons unfold at a hyper-local level. With daily exercise restricted to the immediate open spaces around us, repeatedly walking the same routes each day has helped make me more mindful of both self and surroundings as the months have slipped by.

While working from home, the well-trodden sheep tracks which loop around the headlands here have provided an abundance of ever-changing views on these outings away from the desk, creating a slow-paced film full of subtle scene changes amidst the solitude of the daily dog-walks.

Past the empty house with its blackhouse ruins and ramshackle fence, the land ripples in long lines of the old run rig farming system, reminiscent of the ridges found on a bottle of Isle of Harris Gin. No longer a place for growing potatoes, the greening grass is grazed by Blackfaced sheep and their milk-fed lambs which are fattening fast.

Over the first hill, with eastward views across the Minch to Skye, one of the local seal colonies can be spied. They sunbathe in the late spring sun, balanced on the rocks before high-tide, backs bent like great, grey bananas. The older ones watch the walkers with a beady and suspicious eye, while their young play in the green sea around the rocks of Stiolamair.

Birdlife abounds, as two terns recently returned from Antarctica to nest express their annoyance at the arrival of interlopers. They’re joined by a pair of greylag geese who add to the noise, honking loudly while circling like angry fighter planes on patrol.

A heron stands idly by, watching the commotion while overhead a buzzard rides high on a thermal breeze. Some days there are white-tailed eagles, usually harassed by brave (or fool-hardy) seagulls eager to warn them off.

Bursting from the heather, multiple snipe take flight when we wander too close. They’ll be heard from again later in the day, ‘drumming’ eerily into the fading light.

Reaching the next hill, the seascape of East Loch Tarbert is peppered by little uninhabited islands, and in the distance lies the harbour village of Tarbert and the Harris Distillery.

Heading for home, the fading path passes overgrown peat banks, untouched for the last few years as locals have grown old or passed on. The long, wooden handle of a tarasgeir protrudes from a deep well of black water, the iron blade submerged, waiting patiently for the moment it might be tasked to cut again.

On a distant hill I spot my nearest neighbours out for their own daily constitutional and we wave to each other from afar, shouting our greetings and a loud “ciamar a tha sibh!” from a safe social-distance.

Wandering down through the first shoots of scented ferns and bracken we’re almost back to the cottage, nestled in the lee-ward side of some old gneiss rocks.

There’s a plastic bag writhing by the mailbox and inside are a dozen fresh langoustines delivered by the local fishermen. On the doorstep a box of half a dozen local eggs from a friend.

I live the most privileged life.

In nature, there's always a reminder that it is important to listen and learn. Although just a small tale told from a hidden Hebridean stage, I hope these views from Scalpay might help give you the space to reflect upon the more powerful stories being told elsewhere.

Story by Michael Donald

The Hearach

A HISTORIC SINGLE MALT WHISKY

THE FIRST LEGAL DRAM FROM HARRIS

THE INFLUENCE OF AN ISLAND

The people from Pabbay, a small island off our western coast, could once boast of the uisge beatha which flowed from their hidden stills far from the exciseman's eyes.

These days are sadly long gone and the wee island now lies empty of both whisky and anyone to make it.

Today, we're proud to be reviving the tradition of Harris distilling almost 170 years later here in Tarbert.

Like the Hearaich themselves, our malt whisky is a conversation between nature and nurture, with two powerful parents, each influencing the dram in their own unique ways.

Firstly, there are the elements of Harris itself.

We're making The Hearach from the softest of Outer Hebridean waters, the fast-flowing stream from which it flows, Abhainn Cnoc a ’Charrain, running over the oldest rocks on earth.

And then there's the environment in which it all takes shape, a place swept by the Gulf Stream and Atlantic storms.

For all its wildness, the island is not always a savage place.

CHAOS IN THE CASKS

THE WONDERS OF WOOD

The second parent is the long, complex process of spiritual interaction with wood.

We take the sourcing of our casks very seriously, using only the best bourbon barrels from carefully chosen distillers in Kentucky and sherry butts from a single Spanish bodega.

We are also experimenting with full maturation in Pennsylvanian rye casks and Sauternes-style barrels from Bordeaux.

Every drop will have been distilled, matured, and will eventually be bottled, by local people in the Isle of Harris.

LIFE TAKES TIME

A SLOWER APPROACH

As every islander understands, life takes time.

Life here in Harris is lived at a different pace, a culture which has evolved naturally from our distance from big cities and closeness to the rhythms of the natural world.

This less regimented approach to the dictates of the clock is something we bring to our distilling work too.

Our mashing, for example is measured and gentle, the rakes of the mash tun turning slowly to create a lighter wort.

Our fermentation process is unusually long, from 3 up to 5 days, accomodating as it does the distillery's adherence to the island Sabbath with no work on a Sunday.

We're also in no rush to release our first, historic single malt to the world. We'll wait until the right moment to bottle it, when the whisky is at its best and worthy of bearing our island's name.

Exactly when that will be only time and taste will tell.

Meantime, we can tell you that The Hearach single malt whisky promises to be an Outer Hebridean dram of distinction.

Medium peated, to evoke the the gentle whiff of village fires, it will combine spirit drawn from both our bourbon and sherry barrels in careful balance.

Complex and full of Isle of Harris character, we look forward to sharing a glass with you someday soon, but not too soon...

Back to Journal

A SMALL SCALPAY STORY

Posted on 28 May, 2021

Looking across to our distillery in Tarbert from the Isle of Scalpay.

Since returning home to these islands a decade ago, I've lived and worked in a fair few quiet corners. But, since joining the distillery team, I've been safely ensconced in the near-silence of Scalpay.

Sgalpaigh, as it is known in our native Gaelic, is an island off the east coast of Harris. Or so I thought. I've since been corrected. Harris is, in fact, an island off the west coast of Scalpay.

It's a small detail, but an important one and the semantics say a lot about the geographical and cultural points of difference between the two places.

'Am Baile' - The Village, Isle of Scalpay. Image © www.alifetimeofislands.blogspot.com

Scalpay is not Harris, and Harris is not Scalpay, and although now firmly connected by a beautiful, big road bridge, their identities are as distinct as they've always been.

Over the years, many small ferries have crossed the sound which separates the two, sailing a short stretch of water between two slipways just a few hundred meters apart.

In 1964, the first bright red, timber-hulled boat made the journey, its clever turntable deck design carrying up to four cars at a time to roll-on and roll-off.

Scalpay Pier, 1933.

Turntable car ferry, Kyles Scalpay, 1965. Above images © www.csrc.org.uk

But, in 1997 came the bridge, and our two island communities entered an arranged marriage of sorts, courtesy of the Western Isles Council and around £6.4m of European funding.

So, if you plan to visit Harris, do take a detour east of Tarbert, looking out for the red-triangled notices that warn you that otters may be crossing. In more ways than one, it's usually a good sign.

There's an 'open village' system of grazing here too, so sheep have free rein to wander the rollercoaster route which will eventually lead you to the historic Eilean Glas lighthouse. So, best take it as slow as they do.

Scalpay Bridge, 2021.

While mindful of motoring around lambs and mustelids, the long and winding road and its offshoots will take you through many of Scalpay's tiny townships, each with their often tongue-twisting names.

There's Am Baile (The Village), Aird an Aiseig, Ceann a Bhaigh, Rubha nan Cuideagan, Aird na Cille, Aird Aghanais, Laggandaoin, North and South Harbour, and more.

The roadsides are cluttered with crab and prawn pots, and convoluted coves hide small bright boats and rusting wrecks in equal measure, a testament to changed days since the big herring hauls.

Herring boats and ring-netters, North Harbour, Scalpay 1960s.

Scalpay Harbour and Marina, 2021

The fleets of ring-netters which once tied up side-by-side have given way to a modern marina, with a mix of pleasure craft, sea-cruisers and creel fishing vessels crewed by the likes of Donald and Finlay Ewen.

Their catch doesn't always have to travel very far either, with freshly landed lobster and langoustine put onto to plates and served just minutes away by chef George Lavery at the North Harbour Bistro.

And, other small businesses are blossoming too, from artists and home-bakers to Airbnbs...

The fishermen of Scalpay Shellfish. www.scalpayshellfish.co.uk

Isle of Harris Gin at Eilean Glas Lighthouse, Scalpay.

You'll doubtless spy a few lovely local people too, who will always return a wave as they go about the beautiful business of being busy, 21st-century Scalpaich.

And, if you are ever passing through, feel free explore the ends of some snaking side-tracks. Maybe take a left (or a right dependant on the direction of travel) by the old bus shelter, and keep on going until you can't anymore.

There you'll find a wee white cottage by a little sea-loch, the source of this small Scalpay story, written in rare, late spring sunshine to the distant sound of drumming snipe across a clear blue sky.

THE DISTILLERY HARRIS TWEED JACKETS

Posted on 25 June, 2021

The Distillery Harris Tweed® blazer and hacking jackets. Image © David Stanton

Tonight, we are delighted to release our new made-to-order Distillery Harris Tweed® jackets designed by Judy R Clark, the award-winning Scottish designer famed for her exquisite hand tailoring in tweeds, lace and antique fabrics.

The cloth we entrusted to her talents is our distillery tweed pattern created by young Scott Murray from here in Tarbert and woven by Stephen Passmore from the distillery team at his loom in the village of Rodel.

For the first releases in our range, Judy has also been working with Alison MacDonald of Tiger Textiles in the Isle of Lewis. We tasked her with embroidering threads of rose gold onto the jackets' sumptuous teal velvets.

Lined in Isle of Harris Gin blue satin with our unique label.

Copper button detailing and contrast stitching.

Working in close collaboration, we have brought two fabulous new jackets into the world with our unique cloth, The Distillery Harris Tweed Blazer for men and The Distillery Harris Tweed Hacking Jacket.

Both the women's and men's styles boast many beautiful details, including copper buttons, contrasting stitching and an embroidered collar bearing our hidden distillery motto. The jackets also have velvet collars and cuffs and a satin lining in Isle of Harris Gin blue.

Judy tells us…

"Creating a design that that represents all the beautiful elements of the Harris Gin story, such as land and sea, distillery influences, and the unique Isle of Harris Gin bottle, has been a fantastic project to work on. Each aspect of designing the new jacket has been so enjoyable, and the team have been brilliant to work with."

Edinburgh based designer Judy R Clark.

Seamstress and artist Alison Macleod of Tiger Textiles.

Heading up the second stage of our ongoing Harris Tweed Project, storyteller Iona Cairns has been working hard to bring these jackets into being. It's a job that has encompassed textiles, graphic design, photography, and packaging.

Iona tells us…

"It has been a pleasure to work on this project alongside Judy and my colleagues at the distillery. The journey has been fascinating, working closely with Harris Tweed Hebrides and the Harris Tweed Authority we have watched our own Stephen weave the tweed and Judy carefully incorporate elements of the island and distillery into her design. These jackets represent our distillery and we are incredibly proud to share them with you."

Our distillery motto, discreetly embroidered in rose gold thread.

The Harris Tweed® Orb Mark, the guarantee of an authentic Outer Hebridean cloth.

The jackets are now available to order online for the first time in various sizes and can be purchased in the distillery shop here in Tarbert.

Each garment is specially made to order, and as such, each one takes 10-12 weeks to produce. But, we believe the wait will be worth it as you take delivery of a piece of Harris Distillery history which will last a lifetime.

Iona and the team have also gone to great lengths to create the bespoke packaging, including our branded tissue paper, information booklet, and a copper wire hanger. Then, of course, there's a handwritten gift message available too.

Now available online or at the distillery shop in Tarbert.

To learn more, please visit the dedicated website page or go directly to the online shop to order.

In addition, you'll find a handy measuring guide to ensure the best fit and lots of other helpful information.

Join us again soon as we add to the Distillery Harris Tweed® range, but meantime, here's to the craft and creativity of Harris!

FROM CROFT TO CLOTH

Posted on 01 October, 2021

Autumn arrives with its wilder weather.

Autumn has arrived, and the island landscape begins to change as the light fades. The wind and rain wears down the abundance of plantlife and summer is over.

The skies are a glossary of grey, and fresh gusts drive dark clouds low across the mountains, moor, and machair as we wave goodbye to the old season.

The turn towards wilder days reminds us to wrap up warm, and there’s one item of clothing that has helped us fend off the worst of weathers for generations.

Where it all begins, the wool for wild weather.

Made from pure new wool and woven by skilled hand at the homes of Outer Hebridean men and women, the iconic Harris Tweed jacket makes the perfect wardrobe pick at this time of year.

We shared a (very) short history of our native cloth in a recent Journal, so let’s continue the story as we look more closely at the making of the cloth itself.

Around 1846 the raw material for every jacket, wool, would all have been sheared locally and used in its natural, uncoloured state, as well as dyed.

Harris Tweed was once characterised by subtle flecks of colour achieved through the use of vegetable dyes, including the lichen dyes gathered from rocks which give deep red- or purple-brown and sometimes a rusty orange.

Spinning wool by hand. Image © Harris Tweed Authority

Weaving by hand on the Beart Mhòr. Image © Harris Tweed Authority

A most natural mordant (can you guess what?) was used to “fix” the dyes, and after a thorough washing, they’d be ready to dry in the open air, often hung on a stone wall or laid on the heather.

The tweed maker then teased the wool; a process which involves pulling the wool apart to open out the fibres, painstakingly carding it by hand into rollagan using homemade carding combs.

After carding, the wool was spun by hand into yarn, another prolonged process. Before the treadle-powered Spinning Wheel took over, Distaff, Spindle, and Whorls were the earlier spinning methods.

Dyeing with natural lichens (crotal). Image © Harris Tweed Authority

More modern dying methods are used in the mills today. Image © Harris Tweed Authority

This yarn was then woven into tweed on a very early wooden hand-loom the warp and weft intertwined by a manually operated shuttle.

Originally, a small wooden loom called the beart bheag was employed, but the beart mhòr replaced this, and this 'Big Loom' first appeared on the islands in the 1890s.

The finished tweed was then washed and shrunk by hand at a luadh, the final finishing process where waulking songs in Gaelic often accompanied the moment before finally folded and made ready for sale.

The Distillery Harris Tweed of today, modelled by Sarah from the shop team.

Much like distilling, the basic principles of the creative process have remained unchanged over the years. Only the surrounding technology has taken a slightly different shape.

Most importantly, the making of Harris Tweed remains tied to these islands, protected by law to ensure every inch has been dyed, spun, and hand-woven here in the Outer Hebrides.

If you’d like to own a piece of this beautiful history, and a fine example of our craft and creativity, please visit our Harris Tweed Project page to discover our new Distillery Harris Tweed® range and more about the story behind it.

For more information on Harris Tweed® please visit www.harristweed.org

Story by Michael Donald

The Hearach

A HISTORIC SINGLE MALT WHISKY

THE FIRST LEGAL DRAM FROM HARRIS

THE INFLUENCE OF AN ISLAND

The people from Pabbay, a small island off our western coast, could once boast of the uisge beatha which flowed from their hidden stills far from the exciseman's eyes.

These days are sadly long gone and the wee island now lies empty of both whisky and anyone to make it.

Today, we're proud to be reviving the tradition of Harris distilling almost 170 years later here in Tarbert.

Like the Hearaich themselves, our malt whisky is a conversation between nature and nurture, with two powerful parents, each influencing the dram in their own unique ways.

Firstly, there are the elements of Harris itself.

We're making The Hearach from the softest of Outer Hebridean waters, the fast-flowing stream from which it flows, Abhainn Cnoc a ’Charrain, running over the oldest rocks on earth.

And then there's the environment in which it all takes shape, a place swept by the Gulf Stream and Atlantic storms.

For all its wildness, the island is not always a savage place.

CHAOS IN THE CASKS

THE WONDERS OF WOOD

The second parent is the long, complex process of spiritual interaction with wood.

We take the sourcing of our casks very seriously, using only the best bourbon barrels from carefully chosen distillers in Kentucky and sherry butts from a single Spanish bodega.

We are also experimenting with full maturation in Pennsylvanian rye casks and Sauternes-style barrels from Bordeaux.

Every drop will have been distilled, matured, and will eventually be bottled, by local people in the Isle of Harris.

LIFE TAKES TIME

A SLOWER APPROACH

As every islander understands, life takes time.

Life here in Harris is lived at a different pace, a culture which has evolved naturally from our distance from big cities and closeness to the rhythms of the natural world.

This less regimented approach to the dictates of the clock is something we bring to our distilling work too.

Our mashing, for example is measured and gentle, the rakes of the mash tun turning slowly to create a lighter wort.

Our fermentation process is unusually long, from 3 up to 5 days, accomodating as it does the distillery's adherence to the island Sabbath with no work on a Sunday.

We're also in no rush to release our first, historic single malt to the world. We'll wait until the right moment to bottle it, when the whisky is at its best and worthy of bearing our island's name.

Exactly when that will be only time and taste will tell.

Meantime, we can tell you that The Hearach single malt whisky promises to be an Outer Hebridean dram of distinction.

Medium peated, to evoke the gentle whiff of village fires, it will combine spirit drawn from both our bourbon and sherry barrels in careful balance.

Complex and full of Isle of Harris character, we look forward to sharing a glass with you someday soon, but not too soon.

The Isle Of Harris Distillery

WITH THE FUTURE OF HARRIS AT ITS HEART

FOR, WITH, AND FROM THE ISLE OF HARRIS

OUR ISLAND STORY BEGINS

The Isle of Harris Distillery began with a simple idea.

The inspiration came from Anderson 'Burr' Bakewell, who has been bound to this island through a long connection with nearby Scarp, and many decades of life spent among the landscapes of Harris and people of our community.

He believed that the rare and elusive spirit of this island could be captured in a bottle and shared with the world.

Over the decades Burr, like many others, noted with sadness the long-term decline in the island's population, our community's numbers having halved over the last fifty years.

As young people left our shores to seek their fortune, few were able to return to find work, set down roots and build a life in the place they called home. He believed that a distillery, built for not just years but for generations, could be a way to help stem this tide.

So, he gathered a group of like-minded individuals around him and set out on a seven year journey to bring his ambitions to reality.

September 24th 2015 saw his simple idea finally come to fruition as the doors to the Isle of Harris Distillery opened for the first time.

That day, we gathered to light an inaugural fire in our distillery hearth. Three generations of Hearaich, the Gaelic word for the people of Harris, each placed a fàd, or block, of peat on the blaze to mark the occasion.

We then threw the largest ceilidh the island had ever seen with hundreds of our fellow islanders joining us in the cask warehouse for a night of music, dancing and song, as the first of our island spirit flowed.

The distillery started life with just 10 people and an ambition to double this number over the next five years. Today, we're proud to say we employ almost 40 permanent staff, a highly significant number in an island of fewer than 2000 inhabitants.

In these early days of our history, it is clear that Burr's vision is already making a real difference here in the Isle of Harris.

As a catalyst for positive change within our community, we continue to work with purpose, bringing new life to our island and supporting its aspirations to survive and thrive as we move forward together to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

"Far am bi toil, bidh gnìomh..."

NURTURING BELONGING

CONNECTING YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY

Connection is everything to us here in the Isle of Harris.

Our location off the far northwest edge of Scotland means we often rely on each other to get by and get things done.

Despite our many scattered villages we are a close-knit community, bound together by a love of this special place, traditions, history, language and culture as well as the confines of our shared geography.

Everybody knows their neighbour and no-one is shy to lend a hand or shoulder to lean on when needed.

It is an approach to life we love to bring to others, whether here in Harris or far from our shores.

Those who join us at the distillery will always receive a genuine Outer Hebridean welcome as we seek to share our spirit and story and learn more about others in return.

A burning peat fire, lit daily in the heart of our distillery, symbolises this deep sense of warmth and hospitality.

And, for those connecting with us online we extend the same values of familiarity and friendship as we reach out to the wider world through our ambassadors, social media and online storytelling.

As time goes by, we hope you'll be inspired to learn more about our work and wider island story and feel part of our plans.

Open, straight and true in all that we do, we hope we can share the things which bind us all together, no matter where we choose to call home.

"Ceud mìle fàilte!"

FROM TIME TO TIME, BE HERE

ISLANDERS KNOW THAT LIFE TAKES TIME

The pace of life is a little different in the Isle of Harris...

We are immersed in nature, with all its elemental wind, waves and wide skies, a rollercoaster for the senses found among mountain, moor and machair.

In summer, the days stretch so long that the sun barely dips below the horizon, while months of long winter darkness brings a blanket of stars and dancing aurora high above.

The weather here is unpredictable with marine green seas and bright blue skies suddenly giving way to clouds of ominous grey and horizontal rains.

And when the storms roll in, we often find ourselves cut off from the rest of the world as ferries stay safely tied at harbour and local shop shelves run dry of fresh supplies.

All this leads to a life where making hard and fast plans feels foolish and a deeper sense of patience tends to prevail.

It's an attitude we try to bring to our work here at the Isle of Harris Distillery.

Our whisky mashing is slow and gentle and our fermentations are long. We prefer to do things well rather than do them rushed. And, we rest from our work on Sundays to spend time in fellowship with friends and family.

The modern world may strive to be 24/7 and 'always on' but here in Harris such things simply don't apply.

With an appreciation of the past and an eye on the future, please join us in the spirit of enjoying the moment and the rare chance it affords us to just 'be'...

|"Am fear a bhios fad aig an aiseig gheibh e thairis uaireigin..

20 December, 2022

Scotland’s Isle of Harris Distillery has announced plans for a North American and European expansion following a £10 million funding package from HSBC UK.

The funding will allow for expanded distribution to over 20 international markets for Isle of Harris Gin and the soon-to-launch Hearach malt whisky.

The distillery has also outlined plans for two new warehouses.

“As a business focused on the future, we’re excited to venture into new markets and expand our international footprint – and to introduce more of the world to the bottled spirit from our special island,” said Ron MacEachran, executive chairman of Isle of Harris Distillers.

“We’re delighted that HSBC UK has supported us in our ambitions to grow our business. Achieving ongoing commercial success stimulates global interest and visitors to this beautiful island, assisting it to survive and flourish in the 21st century.”

The Isle of Harris Distillery was established in 2015 and has gone on to become one of the remote island’s primary employers.

Isle of Harris Distillers Ltd. has announced the release date for its long-awaited Single Malt Scotch Whisky, The Hearach, named after the Scottish Gaelic name for a native of Harris.

A private event to celebrate 'the first dram' at the distillery in Tarbert will be live-streamed online on Friday 22 September 2023 at 1pm.

A village cèilidh with live music and dancing will take place in the local community centre on the Friday evening and the whisky will be available at the event and in village bars from 7pm that night.

The Hearach Single Malt will then go on sale from 10am on Saturday 23 September 2023 at the distillery shop and from the online store at before being made available in specialist stores across the UK and globally in October.

The whisky is the first legal dram from the island and every drop has been distilled, matured, married, and bottled in Harris by the local men and women of the distillery.

The Hearach whisky

The Hearach has been strongly influenced by its Outer Hebridean island home and will be a spirit of complexity and character.

The bottle, which has been designed by the world-leading agency Stranger & Stranger, will not be revealed until The Hearach is released in September.

Managing director Simon Erlanger said of the whisky: "It has been 15 years since Burr Bakewell formed the Isle of Harris Distillery Company.

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"We’ve always said that the whisky would be ready when it’s ready, so it’s a big moment to finally announce a launch date, which will be the distillery’s 8th birthday.

"Back then, we hosted the biggest ceilidh the island had seen- at this one we’ll have a historic dram to toast the island with."

Executive chairman and CFO Ron MacEachran added: “The Hearach’s launch, eight years after the distillery opened, is a wonderful tribute to the efforts and support of so many people.

"The designers and builders of the distillery, the countless people from the island community and beyond who have supported us in different ways over the years.

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"Our investors who supported a long term vision of regeneration predicated on the creation of a distinctive whisky and – above all – the wonderful team who have brought the distillery to life and, notwithstanding the many challenges, have remained passionately focused on achieving product and service quality – now embodied in The Hearach single malt.”

Isle of Harris Distillers release The Hearach - the first whisky from the island distillery

It’s a momentous occasion for the Isle of Harris Distillers, who have become known for their award-winning gin. Rosalind Erskine visited Harris earlier this year to find out more about, and try, The Hearach whisky, which is now available to buy.

September 23, 2023

It’s a beautiful day on the Isle of Harris. The type of early summer weather - where there’s not a cloud in the piercing blue sky - which proves that the beaches on this island can indeed look like they belong in the Caribbean.

It’s these vibrant blues and turquoise, seen best at the beaches, that inspired the now iconic Harris Gin bottle, and it’s this spirit that’s the reason that visitors are flocking to the modern, white washed distillery that sits proudly next to the ferry terminal.

But today the gin is taking a back seat, as the team are focusing on The Hearach, the distillery's first whisky, as a release date has been revealed.

The release of this long-awaited whisky coincides with the distillery’s eighth birthday, and marks the first legal whisky produced on the island.

The distillery, which was set up in 2015 by founder Anderson ‘“Burr” Bakewell, was designed to not only produce excellent spirits but to provide jobs on the island to ensure fewer young people leave. The target was to employ 25 islanders, but started off with ten (known as the Tarbert ten).

Hearach Whisky Scottish brand

Picture: Isle of Harris Distillery

The team is now at 51 people, all of whom are born and bred on Harris (known as Hearachs, hence the name of the whisky) or live on the island. From distillers to the brand team, all are from the island and many started in roles as teenagers, such as working in the canteen.

One of these is Harry Wood, who along with Shona Macleod (one of the Tarbert ten) are the distillery’s blender and assistant blender.

Over the last few years, they’ve been working with consultants to hone their craft. During my visit to the distillery, Shona and Harry took me to the warehouse to taste whisky straight from the casks to really get a feel for the foundations of The Hearach.

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Shona was on the original gin nosing panel, who checked the quality of the spirit, but she explained that whisky was very new to her. Harry however is more of a self confessed ‘geek’ when it comes to whisky.

The casks being used to mature the Hearach are three bourbons - Woodford Reserve, Heaven Hill and Buffalo Trace - and two sherries - Oloroso and Fino.

harris gin

Picture: Harris Gin

These casks were chosen early on by the consultants and are then blended together to create The Hearach.

Although it’s Shona and Harry that are involved now, the original four distillers (including Shona’s husband) have moved on to other roles in the company, but it’s their whisky that’s being released, making it an emotional time for some.

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Shona said: “The original four did distilling, bottling and warehousing for this whisky, which is quite special.”

“The beautiful bottle was a blessing and a curse”

It’s fair to say that the Harris Gin bottle design was the one that kick started the current trend for beautiful, eye-catching bottles for spirits.

Designed by Stranger and Stranger, the textured, tall, light turquoise bottle proved so popular that in 2016 the distillery had to ration sales of their gin as demand was so high, meaning glass manufacturer Stölzle - who at the time had closed their Yorkshire factory for a major furnace renewal, - couldn’t keep up with demand.

So while there’s excitement over how the whisky tastes, there’s also real pressure on how the bottle is going to look.

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The Hearach whisky

I met with Mike Donald, chief storyteller at the Isle of Harris Distillery, who talked me through the painstaking design process, and discussed the much anticipated Hearach bottle.

He said: “It was a blessing and a curse, this beautiful bottle. The bottle hit the market just at the right time as there was no one out there really focusing on this kind of bottle design and people fell in love with it and have an emotional connection to it.

"After all this time, the expectations are so high for the whisky bottle. From my point of view, what’s more important is the spirit inside the bottle and I'm aware that, with whisky, there is an aversion to over marketing so for me, the pressure is really on the distillers and the blenders to create a beautiful dram.

"But that said, The Hearach is incredibly special to us so we wanted to design a bottle that was part of the design family that was equally as beautiful, but something that stood on its own, that had its own character and had its own identity.”

While the gin bottle is tall and elegant, the team wanted a shorter, more squat bottle for The Hearach and, as Mike said, “we've put our designers, glass manufacturers, technical staff and even label printers through the wringer -we’ve really pushed them to the limits. It's been a journey.”

Despite a design being drawn up, and a prototype made, the team decided that this wasn’t right so took the expensive decision to go back to the drawing board. After a lengthy process they settled on a design which came from an original drawing from way back in 2013, at the start of the project.

Mike explained the look of the final article, saying: “when we were thinking about the brand story and the marketing around it, we were thinking a lot about yin and yang and had really good conversations with Burr about that.”

Where the gin bottle is tall and slim, the whisky bottle is short and stockier “like an art deco decanter that fits in your hand like a glass hand grenade" and instead of ripples on the glass, the Hearach has regimented vertical and horizontal lines - the obvious parallel here is with Harris Tweed.

And while the gin’s look and taste is of the sea, the whisky is of the land. Colours here are heavier - greys and copper - and everything down to the presentation box has been carefully considered to tell the story of this anticipated whisky.

“Every drop has been distilled by Harris hands”

After all this time, what does The Hearach actually taste like? Whisky writer, author and consultant Dave Broom and I were among the very few outside the company to enjoy a dram.

Along with Shona, Harry, managing director Simon Erlanger and executive chairman and CFO Ron MacEachran, we sipped on drams poured straight from sample bottles.

While Simon and Ron discussed the help they’d had from whisky legends Charles Maclean and the late Jim Swan, Simon commented that every drop of the whisky has been ‘distilled by Harris hands’, fulfilling Burr’s aim to generate employment and keep people on the island. The whisky, a ‘spirit of distinction’ was to be a reflection of Harris, or Harris in a bottle.

Ultimately it’s delicious, moreish and sweet, with grassy and herbal notes and a thread of smoke. It ends with a mineral character from the Fino casks.

Shona Macleod commented on the taste, saying: “I get a gentle peat smoke on the first sip which reminds me of island home fires burning when I was growing up.

"It comes along with a toasted maltiness. I can also taste homemade apple sauce and smell machair flowers, particularly white clover which springs up on our west coast every summer.

"Mixed spices appear, and an old-fashioned sweetness from things like candied ginger, vanilla, and honeycomb. Finally, there’s a long, clotted-cream note, mixed with a lasting sense of new leather.”

There's no doubt this team has taken quite a journey to get to this point, and, as the sun starts to set over the bay, it's hard to disagree with Dave Broom as he said: "This whisky is a wonderful new addition to a new generation of distillers in Scotland."

The Hearach Single Malt will go on sale from 10am on Saturday 23 September 2023 at the distillery shop and from the online store before being made available in specialist stores across the UK and globally in October.

Dear friend,

Hello from the Isle of Harris, it's been a while...

Almost eight weeks have passed since we launched The Hearach single malt and revealed our first historic whisky to the world.

From the raising of 'The First Dram' among friends at the distillery to 'The First Release' online and here in Harris, the launch weekend unleashed a whirlwind of which the dust is just now settling.

On release day, over 25,000 eager purchasers joined the online queue to secure our first 8 batches until supplies were exhausted in under five hours .

At the same time, over a thousand people queued happily outside the distillery to buy a first release bottle, travelling from as far away as Canada for the occasion.

Since then, we've release many more bottles to stockists across the UK which have also sold out in record time, with any last remaining bottles few and far between for those who hunt hard enough.

And, we've been bringing our island dram to over 20 countries across the world as our intrepid team travel far and wide to launch our dram at special gatherings from New York to New Zealand.

The story is just beginning however, and early 2024 will bring forth more batches of The Hearach single malt whisky as well as some special elemental explorations and expressions for you to enjoy.

Meantime, a heartfelt thanks to you, and those like you, who have made all this possible. Only in our wildest dreams did we imagine the ongoing successes of this special moment.

Slàinte mhor, and here's to the best of Harris spirits!

Mike Donald, Chief Storyteller

Dear friend,

The weekend is here and the sun is breaking through the shrouds of grey cloud, while in our gardens and across the island's crofts early green shoots have tentatively appeared.

The waters around us are beginning to warm too, and the slowly rising temperatures spur the Sugar Kelp seaweed we know and love into their annual growth spurt beneath the waves.

Next week, some of our team will be heading out to sea to meet our diving friend Lewis Mackenzie aka 'The Kelp Man' to learn more about his work gathering this key Isle of Harris Gin botanical.

This wonderful seaweed provides a substrate for all kinds of life to inhabit, everything from tiny blue-rayed limpets and beautiful cowries, to spiky sea urchins and whelks. It even provides a playground and hunting realm for hungry local otters.

The life cycle of each plant and animal is intimately intertwined and it’s of vital importance that what we take away does not impact the health or survival of those that live in this beautiful ecosystem

Even the humble creatures that cling to the seaweed leaves are carefully removed by Lewis’ hand and returned to the waters from whence it first came...

Lots of new photos and film of nature and wildlife from our Harris shores coming very soon, meantime let's raise a glass to being on the cusp of change once more...

Le gach deagh dhùrachd,

Dear friend,

A wee reminder for those who haven't heard...the team in Harris are proud to announce the date of our next release of The Hearach single malt whisky.

Batch No.s 09 / 10 / 11 / 12

TUESDAY 26TH OF MARCH 2024

10.00 GMT

All batches will be on sale through our online store and at the distillery shop here in Tarbert that morning while stocks last.

You can also buy bottles from our network of specialist retailers and independent stores across the UK from that date as well.

Our global friends can also find this new release of batches as they begin appearing in their countries from this month onwards.

The next release is as delicious as the first, but don't take our word for it, here's what some of our respected whisky friends had to say...

"This whisky is a wonderful new addition to a new generation of distillers...”

- Dave Broom, whisky writer

“Spoiler alert: it’s tremendous.”

- Douglas Blyde, Evening Standard

“It’s an absolute cracker.”

- Neil Ridley, whisky writer

“I have never tasted a whisky like it, and have rarely been so impressed by a first release.”

- Charles MacLean MBE , whisky writer

“Beautifully rounded, balanced, creamy texture, polished. Absolutely delicious”

Tom Bruce-Gardyne, whisky writer

“It’s an absolutely deserved hype. As soon as I had a sip, batch 1 was in the basket!”

Ian Robinson, Posh Scotch

It's hard to argue with them, so we'll just drink to their kind words instead!

Le gach deagh dhùrachd,

Mike Donald, Chief Storyteller

HE 00011 24

Non Chill-Filtered - No Artificial Colouring

MIKE DONALD

CHIEF

STORYTELLER

LAUREN MACSWEEN

SCALPAY

ISLE OF HARRIS

“There’s toffee and caramel notes on the nose, like

‘Werther’s Original’ sweets. It also smells fresh and

green to me. There’s a slight smokiness, reminding me

of the trees behind my Granny’s old house which fell

in an island storm, and we used the logs for firewood.

When I sip it, there’s a nice pepperiness and kick of

spice, and more green apple freshness. The smoke

comes back if you leave it a while and the flavours are

always changing. It’s subtle and light, but there’s a lot

going on in the glass.”

“ The sun has been breaking through the shrouds of

grey cloud, while across the island’s crofts early green

shoots have tentatively appeared with the gorse bushes

bringing the first bursts of yellow. It’s still too early to

speak of spring but it feels like the sap is finally rising

and soon there will be lambs and new life. Our distillery

doors have opened to the public for the first time this

year, and we’re looking forward to the season as more

visitors make their way to our shores to learn about our

elemental Outer Hebridean dram. All in all, as batch

11 is being bottled, it’s a good time raise a dram to new

beginnings.”

Dear friend,

The second release of our island whisky is now on sale direct from the distillery and specialist spirits retailers across the world.

While Batch 10 is sold out in our online store you can find bottles of No. 9, 10, 11, and 12 available from other retailers and also at our distillery shop here in Tarbert.

This week we're sharing the story behind the beautiful bottle of HE 00011 24, also known as Batch No.11 of The Hearach single malt.

We have a limited number of bottles of this particular batch left in our online store if you'd like to get hold of one of your own to enjoy, share, or gift to a good friend.

Captured in stunning glass wrapped with organic lines and curves, every bottle is presented in a specially designed bespoke box which unfolds to reveal a myriad of hidden details.

Batch No.11 is priced at £65.00 and UK orders placed with us online will be delivered to your door free of charge in around 3 working days.

Read on to learn more about this special part of our second release!

Le gach deagh dhùrachd,

Dear friend,

The second release of our island whisky is now on sale direct from the distillery and specialist spirits retailers across the world.

While Batch 10 is sold out in our online store you can find bottles of No. 9, 10, 11, and 12 available from other retailers and also at our distillery shop here in Tarbert.

This week we're sharing the story behind the beautiful bottle of HE 00012 24, also known as Batch No.12 of The Hearach single malt.

We have a limited number of bottles of this particular batch left in our online store if you'd like to get hold of one of your own to enjoy, share, or gift to a good friend.

Captured in stunning glass wrapped with organic lines and curves, every bottle is presented in a specially designed bespoke box which unfolds to reveal a myriad of hidden details.

Batch No.12 is priced at £65.00 and UK orders placed with us online will be delivered to your door free of charge in around 3 working days.