Ep. 177: Isle of Harris Distillery with Shona Macleod and Iona Cairns

Sugar Kelp, A Little Peat, And A Vision For The Future

I first heard about - well, read about - Isle of Harris Distillery in Dave Broom's A Sense of Place. A small community known for its beauty, its tweed, and its declining population, its would-be savior was not a Scot at all, but an American who had grown fond of the area (owning an island nearby) and wanted to save it.

How though? A distillery - not one that would fall into the cycle of boom and bust that had doomed so many previous ventures seeking to draw people back to the island, but one built for generational growth. It would be of the island - Hearach - and for the Hearach, the islanders.

Its gin shocked the market, being both simple and elegant. Flavored with sugar kelp harvested by hand nearby and in a Stranger & Stranger-designed waveform bottle, it rode the wave of gins right at the crest to such success that the whisky could continue to age.

In 2023, The Hearach Single Malt debuted to stunning fanfare. The Tarbert Ten - the original 10 employees - had grown to 50, with more growth ahead and long-term sustainability in mind. If that's not enticing enough, just take a listen - there's something to love here, a great deal, in fact, and I'm thrilled to have taken the time to bring you their story.

Thank you to Shona and Iona for entering the Whiskey Ring!

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Isle of Harris Distillery

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