The first spirit has begun to flow at the Benbecula Distillery in the Outer Hebrides as its owner brings a 130-year-old recipe back to life.
Angus A MacMillan has realised a dream by developing the multi-million-pound distillery at a disused salmon processing plant at Gramsdale, at the northern end of the island.
The project involved the addition of a glass-walled extension in the form of a lighthouse to house a copper pot still, which has become “new landmark on the wild, rolling landscape of an island with a long and proud maritime heritage”.
Mr MacMillan, a businessman, discovered the recipe for the whisky after researching the work of 19th century distilling historian Alfred Barnard, before handing master distiller Brendan McCarron, formerly of The Glenmorangie Company and other major whisky firms, the task of bringing the spirit to life. The ingredients used to make the whisky include bere barley grown on Mr MacMillan’s croft and others nearby, which is fertilised by seaweed from the shoreline. Local peat and heather have also been incorporated into the recipe.
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Twenty-five jobs are expected to be directly created by the distillery, with 10 currently on board. A further 75 are forecast to be supported indirectly in the supply chain.
Mr MacMillan said: “After quite a journey over the past few years, it is fantastic to see the first spirit flowing at Benbecula Distillery.
“There is nowhere quite like Benbecula and we are proud to be able to play a part in sustaining our island, creating new, skilled jobs and producing a single malt whisky which will capture the essence of this unique place.”
He added: “Brendan McCarron, one of the best-known names in modern distilling, has, we believe, created something very special, making the most of the good things Benbecula has to offer.
“Our malt will be kilned over fires which we lay with peat and foraged heather; a revival of a rare malting technique completely unique in Scotland today and from a recipe last used by distilleries such as Glen Ord and Highland Park in the 19th century.
“Brendan has adapted and developed this process to create a smooth, gentle smokiness and sweet floral character in our spirit. Under his guidance, we will also be creating a variety of flavour styles.”
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Mr McCarron worked as head of maturing whisky stocks at The Glenmorangie Company, where he was deputy to head of whisky creation Dr Bill Lumsden, before joining Benbecula. His 20-plus year career in the industry previously included spells as manager of Oban Distillery and as master distiller at Distell, which owns Bunnahabhain, Deanston, and Tobermory.
He said: “The spirit produced at Benbecula will be classically maritime in style; smoky on the nose, with salty and sweetly peated notes. This will be achieved using light to medium peated malted barley, so that the smoke does not dominate and allows fruity and floral notes to shine through.
“Each year a special batch of heather peated bere barley will be produced, using a process that is both innovative and inspired by traditions of the island.”
Around 350,000 litres of whisky will be produced each year at Benbecula, with the spirit then matured in bourbon and sherry casks.
The distillery also makes its own gin and sells its own rum, both of which are available through MacMillan Spirits. A release date has still to be set for the distillery's first whisky.
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A press statement noted that the distillery’s design and distilling process incorporates “pioneering and innovative” low-carbon technologies. Benbecula-based company MacInnes Brothers was the main building contractor, and the distilling equipment was supplied from within the Highlands and Islands.
Regional development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise provided £2.8m of support for the project.
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