Isle of Harris Distillery

The Isle of Harris Distillery will officially open in September 2015. Anderson Bakewell, a music scholar who owned land on the neighboring Scalpay, was deeply concerned about the declining population of Harris, an island he cared for greatly. Despite not being an avid whisky enthusiast, he set out to build the island’s first distillery in Tarbert, the island’s capital and the ferry port to the Isle of Skye. His vision was not only to involve the local community, but also to create a business that would offer attractive long-term employment opportunities for the people of Harris. Shortly after choosing a site along the main road running north to south through Tarbert, Mr. Bakewell’s project secured one of the largest public grants ever awarded to the food and drink sector in Scottish history. This was soon followed by further grants and private investment from around the world. The number of employees at the Isle of Harris Distillery started at 10 when it opened, but has now grown to over 20. Until the first official bottling is released, the distillery will focus on producing and bottling Harris Gin. Harris Gin is crafted using nine botanicals that capture the elemental nature of the island.