Glenmorangie to unveil first crowd-sourced whisky

thewhiskylady - 2015-01-08

Whisky tourism : 3 distilleries where you can stay overnight

thewhiskylady - 2015-01-18

Two Scottish distilleries named hottest attractions to visit in 2015

thewhiskylady - 2015-01-12
Herald Scotland reported last week that two Scottish whisky sites had been named as among the world’s hottest new attractions for 2015 by travel guide company Lonely Planet.
 
The 26-strong ebook list features the Ardnamurchan Distillery on the shores of Loch Sunart in the Western Highlands and the Isle of Harris Distillers in the Western Isles.
 
1. The Isle of Harris Distillers

First whisky distillery to be built on the Isle of Harris, located in Tarbert, and only the second in the Outer Hebrides area, The Isle of Harris Distillery is said to open up an entirely new whisky region in Scotland.
 
The distillery is not only built for commercial purposes but calls itself a “social distillery”as it’s also based to the benefit that it could bring to the inhabitants and the island itself.
 
We are building the ‘social distillery’ for the island and
 
 people of Harris,” 
 
said Simon Erlanger, Director. 
 
The Hearach single malt will indeed create sustainable employment (20 jobs to be created) and economic growth and optimism for the people of Harris – while the spirit of Harris itself will shape the unique character of this new whisky.

Even if the golden liquid produced will only be available in a few years, spirit aficionados will still be able to visit the distillery, which would definitely boost tourism in this remote Scottish area.
 
 
“Harris is an elemental place. The way of life in the island has deep roots, its people take time to savour what they enjoy and we believe The Hearach single malt will reflect that.”
 

 
“What is particularly exciting, at a time when Scotch whisky is enjoying spectacular growth, is the prospect of bringing something of real value both to the industry and the islands.


2. The Ardnamurchan Distillery

 

Whisky Advocate’s writer Jonny McCormick visited the distillery in May last year and wrote an interesting review about it. A few extracts as follow :
 
There is an undulating, skinny ribbon of asphalt running along the north shore of Loch Sunart. It’s barely wide enough for one vehicle, let alone two, but it stretches all the way out t

o the most westerly point in mainland Great Britain. In this stunning locale, distilling is set to commence at the brand new Ardnamurchan Distillery in Glenbeg, Lochaber. The independent bottlers Adelphi Distilling Ltd will finally see their dream realized and join the rank of those who can proudly call themselves distillers. This is no farm distillery by any stretch of the imagination. Underneath the twin pagodas, the Ardnamurchan Distillery will have the capacity to make 500,000 liters of alcohol per year.”

A bit of history : 

The company is named after the Adelphi distillery, a Lowland distillery that operated on the south side of the River Clyde in Glasgow from 1826 until 1907, drawing its water from Loch Katrine. In its day, it had two mash tuns, up to twelve washbacks, and two stillhouses containing a Coffey still and four pot stills. In addition, the 19thcentury Adelphi distillery boasted its own cooperage and maltings (though the bulk of the malt came from Port Dundas). When Alfred Barnard paid a visit in the 1880s, Archibald Walker & Co, then Adelphi’s proprietors, owned Limerick Distillery, Ireland and the Vauxhall Distillery in Liverpool, England. The Adelphi name was revived in 1993 by Archibald Walker’s great grandson.”

The Ardnamurchan Distillery features a visitor centre and a tasting room but would also be the “greenest” distillery in Scotland.
 
As explained by The Malt Desk, these days there’s always the talk about leaving a carbon footprint. This will be kept at a minimum at Ardnamurchan Distillery thanks to the main part of their energy coming from firing with wood chips – the first in Scotland to do so. This will reduce the need for transport of fuels on the narrow single track roads on the Ardnamurchan peninsula as the wood will be sourced locally from the estate on which the distillery is located. The distillery also has a small bio mass plant in place to clean all waste fluids and the output from that can be lead straight back into the wild without any impact.
 
 
And you, are you planning to visit one of these two distilleries ?
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