A guide to the Islands | Scotch whisky regions
The Islands are not recognised as a Scotch whisky region. But we do make a distinction, which we'll explain in this handy guide to the Islands while taking you on a whistlestop tour!
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The Highlands is one of the five recognised Scotch whisky regions, as the Scotch Whisky Association will tell you.
One of the things that make the Highlands such a huge geographical area of whisky production is that it includes a multitude of islands across Scotland. There are 900 islands off Scotland’s coastline. Only around 70 are inhabited and few have distilleries, but every one except Islay comes under the Highland designation. Even though there’s an awful long way between Talisker on Skye and Highland Park in Orkney, they are still both Highlanders according to the Scotch Whisky Association.
Some do list the Islands separately. Like us on our site, really because it’s just easier for people to wrap their heads around. There are some overarching characteristics of island whisky, a slight coastal salinity and a penchant for peat, for example, but really there is no perfect regional categorisation because each Scotch whisky distillery is unique in its production methods.
The islands and the distilleries on them in full are the following:
Jura Distillery
Jura: Jura Distillery
On the island of Jura in the Inner Hebrides off the West Coast of Scotland lies Jura Distillery, founded in 1810. Like many distilleries it went through various owners, and periods of operation, and had the odd closure before it was completely rebuilt in the 1960s. The production facility was modernised but the whisky was still a reflection of the remote island environment, creating single malt Scotch that had a fruity sweetness and aromatic spice. Peated runs began again in the 1990s to give some of its range a hint of smokiness. The distillery is a key part of the island's community and economy, and each year it joins in the Fèis Ìle celebrations on nearby Islay, getting its own distillery day.
Peat on Orkney has its own terroir
The Orkney Islands: Highland Park and Scapa distilleries
Highland Park Distillery is one of Scotland's most distinguished and oldest legal whisky distilleries. It’s also one of the most remote, established in 1978 in Kirkwall on the Orkney Islands. The distillery still employs floor maltings, a traditional labour-intensive process where barley is turned by hand, and is also known for its use of local peat, cut from Hobbister Moor, which is full of heather and imparts a distinctive, floral, and aromatic smokiness to the whisky. Orkney's climate has mild temperatures, steady sea breezes, and the absence of extreme weather, a maturation environment that Highland Park and Scapa wield to their advantage. Independent bottlers sometimes present Highland Park as Whitlaw as the distillery rarely allows its name to be used.
Scapa Distillery was established in 1885. One of the defining features of its production process is its use of a Lomond still for the whisky's wash distillation, a rarity in the Scotch whisky industry. Although it has been modified to function similarly to a traditional pot still, the Lomond still contributes to Scapa's unique profile by allowing a more selective condensation of vapours, which results in a lighter, more delicate spirit.
Torabhaig recently joined Talisker on Skye
The Isle of Skye: Talisker and Torabhaig distilleries
Talisker Distillery was established in 1830 on the shores of Loch Harport on the Isle of Skye, the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It is renowned for producing a distinctive single-malt Scotch whisky that embodies the rugged character of its coastal location. Talisker's whiskies are known for their peaty, smoky profile, with a complex blend of maritime notes, peppery spice, and a hint of sweetness. Talisker is a worm tub distillery, a form of condenser that creates heavier, meatier flavours than the alternative shell and tube, and the whisky matures in a harsh sea climate. The distillery is a key tourist attraction and a huge part of the local economy on the Isle of Skye.
Torabhaig is the first whisky distillery to be built on Skye in 190 years and only the second legal site to operate on the island. The site for Torabhaig was chosen by Sir Iain Noble, who founded Pràban na Linne in 1976, but he passed in 2010 before he could see his plan through. Mossburn Distillers took on the established planning permission and in 2014 began the process of turning the 200-year-old farmstead into a distillery. The distillery makes peated whisky with long fermentation and production is overseen by no less than nine distillers. The first run was in January 2017 and by February 2021, Torabhaig released its first whisky: the Legacy Series 2017. The brand will release a further three expressions in the series until 2028 when a single malt that has been aged for ten years is ready.
Two whiskies are made here, including the fantastically fruity Tobermory single malt
The Isle of Mull: Tobermory Distillery
Tobermory Distillery was established in 1798 as Ledaig, making it one of Scotland's oldest legal distilleries. It’s also one of its most picturesque as the sole whisky maker on the colourful Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides. The distillery experienced periods of silence from 1837 until 1878 and then again from 1930 to 1972, which started a strange decade with three different owners and a couple of closures before it closed for the last time for 11 years from 1982. Since it reopened, the distillery has proven to be one of Scotland’s finest, and today it produces two distinct malt Scotch whiskies: the unpeated and fruity delight that is Tobermory and the heavily peated, Islay-worthy Ledaig. Tobermory Distillery utilises traditional distillation methods, combining them with the natural resources of Mull, including pure water from a nearby source, and utilising the location's maritime climate, with its cool, moist conditions during maturation.
Arran whisky is a favourite at Master of Malt
The Isle of Arran: Lochranza and Lagg distilleries
Once buzzing with over 50 whisky distilleries, there are now only two distilleries on the Isle of Arran. But they’re both owned by the Isle of Arran Distillers, who also make the Robert Burns branded whiskies.
The Lochranza Distillery was established in 1995, marking a revival of whisky production on Arran after 150 years. Founded by former Chivas Bros MD Harold Currie, he wanted to utilise the water supply and tourism potential. The first whisky, a limited edition three-year-old, was launched in 1998, but the distillery now has a full and outstanding value core style defined by whisky with a honeyed, cereal quality and bright citrus notes. In 2017 the distillery was expanded with the installation of an additional wash and spirit still, more than doubling Arran’s capacity to 1.2m litres per year.
The Lagg Distillery in the south, which focuses on producing heavily peated whisky, was opened in 2017, complete with a magnificent visitor centre. That means Isle of Arran Distillers have a lot of control and flexibility. Both distilleries are run with sustainability and community in mind to ensure they contribute positively to the island's economy and environment.
The stunning Isle of Lewis
The Isle of Lewis: Abhainn Dearg Distillery
Abhainn Dearg Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery in Uig, on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. The most westerly distillery in Scotland, owner Mark Tayburn named it after the Scottish Gaelic for "Red River", a reference to a bloody skirmish in the dark ages when the locals fought off Viking marauders. The distillery was built in a former salmon hatchery and added a new stillhouse building that houses stills with tilted heads, modelled on the historic illicit stills in the area. Production commenced in September 2008, using water from nearby Loch Raonasgail via the Abhainn Dearg. The first whisky was released in 2011 and when it launched Abhainn Dearg 10 Year Old Single Malt, that became the oldest whisky to be produced by a legal distillery in the Outer Hebrides.
The Isle of Harris Distillery. Image credit: Bryan Robertson Photography
The Isle of Harris: The Isle of Harris Distillery
A Scotch whisky and gin distillery in Tarbert on the Isle of Harris, Scotland, The Isle of Harris Distillery was the first legal distillery ever built on the island. Plans were submitted in 2011 and, with the support of a £2.8m combined grant from the Scottish Government and the Highlands and Islands Enterprise fund bringing the total investment to £10m, building commenced in spring 2014. The distillery opened in October 2015 and commenced production on 17 December 2015. Plans for expansion, including a new warehouse, were submitted in January 2021. The distillery aims to harness the close-knit community on the island, and every drop is distilled, matured, married, and bottled by people from Harris. The distillers and blenders have an average age of 25 and were trained from scratch. The Hearach, the first whisky to be legally produced on the island, was launched in September 2023.
The Isle of Raasay Distillery makes a very promising whisky
The Isle of Raasay: The Isle of Raasay Distillery
The Isle of Raasay Distillery was co-founded by Bill Dobbie and Alasdair Day, who formed R&B Distillers to create Scotch whisky that focused on provenance that was inspired by the older styles of Hebridean single malts. By 2015, they had identified the Isle of Raasay as providing the ingredients for the perfect dram, and planning permission was granted in 2016 to convert the nineteenth century Borodale House into a state-of-the-art distillery with visitor centre and luxury accommodation. The remarkable geology, climate, and water source on the Isle of Raasay inspired both the creation and presentation of the island’s first Scottish gin which was the first legal spirit from Raasay, before the distillery officially opened its doors on 14 September 2017. Five years later, Isle of Raasay Single Malt Whisky was released in September 2022 and more whisky is on the way.
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