Why Arran is fast becoming a whisky hotspot

Like in many parts of Scotland, distilling a little whisky at home was a common practice on Arran for centuries, providing additional income. That all changed in 1781 when private distilling was made illegal. The vital cottage industry went underground and illicit distilling continued. The illegal whisky produced on the island in this period was known as Arran Waters. Arran is divided by the Highland faultline with more mountainous terrain to the north and gentler rolling hills in the south. It was in the south where much of the illicit distilling took place. It was poorer and relied more on bartering for goods, and crucially was further from the reaches of the tax man. 

Barley grew, and as there were few trees, burning peat was used to dry the barley.
It was quite the industry. Sales records of an illicit still manufacturer, Robert Armour of Campbeltown, show 53 stills were sold to Arran residents during this period, but not without trouble. An Arran fishing boat caught in 1817 with four and a half gallons of illegal whisky claimed it was necessary to be able to offer a dram to prospective herring buyers, landing them a long stay behind bars. Also in 1817, three unarmed smugglers were shot at Shannachie, not far from the modern day Lagg distillery, as they attempted to escape the excise men. 

(Image: Isle of Arran Distillers)

A tour at Lagg distillery, Arran Water: Tour, Tales, and Drams (Tuesdays and Saturdays) tells more stories of smugglers, as does the book Arran Water: An Island Whisky History by Gregor Adamson which uncovered much of the history of distilling on the island. The Excise Act of 1823 legalised distilleries but as other regions flourished, Arran lacked the infrastructure to compete. The last legal distillery, which operated in a former flax mill in Lagg, ceased operations in 1840. By this point Campbeltown across the water had 27 distilleries and, crucially, a harbour. There was no harbour in Arran until 1871 as the landowners didn’t want to spend the money.

After a hiatus of 155 years, legal distilling finally began again in 1995 as Isle of Arran Distillers began production in Lochranza. The Lochranza distillery uses Loch na Davie, high above the distillery, as a water source, filtered through the Easan Biorach burn and six waterfalls making the water very soft and pure. Glen Esk malted barley arrives at Lochranza every week, travelling by Calmac ferry and along single track roads. Every stage of production is about encouraging the floral and fruity notes in Arran whisky. Many taste peaches, banana and orchard fruits. 
The small washbacks are made from Oregon pine, giving plenty of surface area for fermentation and the development of fruity esters. The longer the fermentation the more fruity flavours can develop, so in Lochranza there’s an average fermentation time of 85 hours, followed by a slow six-hour distillation.

(Image: Isle of Arran Distillers)

The Lochranza distillery is surrounded by mountains and the sea, so there was no direction to expand as demand grew.  “Lagg was initially conceived as warehouse space,” Lagg distillery manager Graham Omand explains. “Lochranza was at capacity so we purchased land on Arran. Instead of just warehousing, it was deemed appropriate to have a production site as well. The initial thought was a small facility to work in tandem with Lochranza, but before we knew it we had a facility that would rival our sister distillery.” 

Arran Whisky was confident there was demand for an Arran peated spirit.  “From 2011 onwards, Lochranza had been doing peated malt once a month; what became the Machrie Moor,” Omand says, “but it’s not pleasant or simple to go through the change from peated to non-peated and back. There’s a lot of cleaning involved, and extra distillation to remove the extra phenols. But Machrie Moor was very popular. People were crying out for it.” 

The decision was made to make Lagg the peated distillery “and return Lochranza to its initial roots as the non-peated spirit”. It was originally hoped Arran peat could be used for Lagg like the illicit distilleries had done but much of the island is a designated site of specific scientific interest. Malting is also done off-island, “so it would’ve been a case of digging up peat and sending it away”, Omand says. Lagg uses peat from Port Gordon in Speyside, classed as Highland peat. The use of peat for whisky can pit environmental concerns against historical practices, but Omand says: “We can’t sacrifice what is historically our culture. We have a carbon footprint evaluation and we’re applying ourselves to reducing our impact. We’re also reinvesting into peat restoration across Scotland.”

(Image: Isle of Arran Distillers)

At Lagg everything takes place in one stillhouse, working with barley from Port Gordon plus a small amount of precious Arran barley. Water comes from a bore hole deep under the site, giving the whisky a much harder water source than at Lochranza. The heavy mineral content of the water is ideal for making heavier, oiler peated whisky like Lagg.

Lagg distillery began production in 2019 with the first malts released in 2022 to much celebration. The new distillery and excellent visitor centre mirror the contours of the island, a turf roof and modern heat condensing technology help reduce the environmental impact. The distillery has brought jobs to this rural community, too, as stillmen and in the waterhouses, offices and visitor centre.  Our guide when I visit, I’m delighted to learn, is the granddaughter of an illicit distiller and hopes to become a master blender. It’s a fitting new chapter for Arran’s whisky history . . . and this time it’s all above board.

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