Discover Isle of Harris distillery
Discover Isle of Harris distillery
Scotch whisky
Lewis and Harris is part of the Outer Hebrides, an archipelago in the far northwest of Scotland, and was a Norwegian territory until the 13th century. Located on the 58th parallel north, the islands feature white sand beaches and turquoise waters as exotic as their far-flung Pacific cousins, alongside otherworldly landscapes of scattered lochs and hamlets.
From the tiny Stornoway airport, it takes under an hour to drive to the isthmus of Tarbert, where the Isle of Harris distillery opened in 2015. After releasing a gin made from local sugar kelp, the distillery unveiled its first whisky in 2023: The Hearach. The rugged-sounding name, pronounced ‘Heh-raw-ch’ by the locals, is the islanders’ demonym.
◊ Standing in the port of Tarbert—the island’s second-largest town at 550 inhabitants — the distillery’s white façade cuts a stark silhouette against the backdrop of the Abhainn Cnoc a’ Charra in mountain. One can easily imagine the thousandodd people who queued up at its doors to get their hands on The Hearach’s inaugural release of a mere 1,916 bottles: the same number as there are residents on Harris.
◊ Upon entering, visitors are greeted with the warmth of a hearth (lit daily), comfortable sofas, and the intimate atmosphere of a cosy home. Inside, employees can be heard speaking passionately about their ‘social distillery,’ which aims to develop local employment in a region suffering greatly from depopulation.
◊ Bathed in light and open to the port, the stillhouse is home to both gin and whisky production and is therefore home to two types of still: a pot still for whisky, and a rotovap to distil gin — all the botanical ingredients of which are on display in a dedicated room.
◊ Less than forty minutes away, at the far south of the island, lies Rodel House. This boutique inn belongs to Anderson Bakewell, founder of the distillery, and sits beside an old 16th century church. Visitors are made to feel entirely at home, sitting down to taste the distillery’s single malt alongside simple, delicious fare like the traditional fish stew.
◊ The signature ingredient of Isle of Harris Gin, sugar kelp is a sea algae omnipresent on the island’s coast. This wrack gives its iodine aroma to the local food (fresh fish and urchins, seafood spaghetti, smoked herring soup, Cullen Skink…), but is also found in soap.
◊ In Tarbert, several speciality shops offer Harris Tweed by the metre, in addition to clothing and accessories. A symbol of the island’s identity, this traditional fabric (protected under the Harris Tweed Act of 1993) also inspired the distillery’s logo.
◊ Each summer, the Isle of Harris distillery takes part in Stornoway’s Hebridean Celtic Festival (or HebCelt, as the locals call it), a grand musical gathering in celebration of Celtic culture. The distillery operates a bar at the festival, and since 2023 has been hosting concerts on its own stage, The Isle of Harris Gin Cèilidh Tent.
◊ The famous Lewis figurines — which can be seen in the chess scene in the first Harry Potter film and in the opening cinematic of the video game Age of Empires II — were discovered on a sandbank in Uig Bay, about 90 minutes’ drive from the distillery. Dating to the 12th century, these chess pieces were sculpted from walrus tusk and whale teeth, and are now preserved in London’s British Museum.
Isle of Harris, Single Malt
Isle of Harris, Single Malt
