Scotland's Isle of Harris Distillery has announced the launch date for its inaugural single malt whisky.
The whisky – called The Hearach, after the Scottish Gaelic name for a native of Harris – is the first legal whisky to be produced on the island and has been distilled, matured, married, and bottled on-site.
It will be officially launched during an event at the distillery in Tarbert on Friday 22 September 2023. A village cèilidh with live music is planned, with the whisky available to buy at the event and at village bars from 7pm that night.
The Hearach will then go on sale from 10am BST on Saturday 23 September at the distillery shop and at harrisdistillery.com, before being made available at specialist retailers in the UK and globally in October.
While Isle of Harris Distillery has given a launch date for its whisky, the bottle – created by specialist spirits design agency Stranger & Stranger – will not be revealed until September.
The distillery's managing director, Simon Erlanger, said: "It’s been 15 years since Burr Bakewell formed the Isle of Harris Distillery Company. We’ve always said that the whisky would be ready when it’s ready, so it’s a big moment to finally announce a launch date, which will be the distillery’s eighth birthday. Back then, we hosted the biggest cèilidh the island had seen – at this one, we’ll have a historic dram to toast the island with."
Ron MacEachran, executive chairman and CFO, said: "The Hearach’s launch, eight years after the distillery opened, is a wonderful tribute to the efforts and support of so many people: the designers and builders of the distillery, the countless people from the island community and beyond who have supported us in different ways over the years, our investors who supported a long-term vision of regeneration predicated on the creation of a distinctive whisky, and above all the wonderful team who have brought the distillery to life who, notwithstanding the many challenges, have remained passionately focused on achieving product and service quality – now embodied in The Hearach single malt."
The whisky – called The Hearach, after the Scottish Gaelic name for a native of Harris – is the first legal whisky to be produced on the island and has been distilled, matured, married, and bottled on-site.
It will be officially launched during an event at the distillery in Tarbert on Friday 22 September 2023. A village cèilidh with live music is planned, with the whisky available to buy at the event and at village bars from 7pm that night.
The Hearach will then go on sale from 10am BST on Saturday 23 September at the distillery shop and at harrisdistillery.com, before being made available at specialist retailers in the UK and globally in October.
Norman Iain Mackay takes a wash sample at the Isle of Harris Distillery. Credit: Laurence Winram
While Isle of Harris Distillery has given a launch date for its whisky, the bottle – created by specialist spirits design agency Stranger & Stranger – will not be revealed until September.
The distillery's managing director, Simon Erlanger, said: "It’s been 15 years since Burr Bakewell formed the Isle of Harris Distillery Company. We’ve always said that the whisky would be ready when it’s ready, so it’s a big moment to finally announce a launch date, which will be the distillery’s eighth birthday. Back then, we hosted the biggest cèilidh the island had seen – at this one, we’ll have a historic dram to toast the island with."
Ron MacEachran, executive chairman and CFO, said: "The Hearach’s launch, eight years after the distillery opened, is a wonderful tribute to the efforts and support of so many people: the designers and builders of the distillery, the countless people from the island community and beyond who have supported us in different ways over the years, our investors who supported a long-term vision of regeneration predicated on the creation of a distinctive whisky, and above all the wonderful team who have brought the distillery to life who, notwithstanding the many challenges, have remained passionately focused on achieving product and service quality – now embodied in The Hearach single malt."
