Benbecula Distillery, a new scotch whisky distillery in the Outer Hebrides, has recently started producing spirit.
Situated in Gramsdale on the island Bebecula, planning permission was submitted to the new site in 2020. The distillery was built on the site of a disused salmon processing plant and was a massive multi-million pound project.
With there being so many new distilleries on the scene these days, new producers need a hook or great story to set them apart from the competition. Benbecula’s unique selling point comes from an ancient whisky recipe.
While researching 19th century distilling historian Alfred Barnard, Benbecula owner Angus A. MacMillan uncovered a 130 year old recipe that utilises heather during the production process. Locally foraged heather was used alongside peat while drying the barely. This process was used at distilleries such as Glen Ord and Highland Park and will now be revived at Benbecula.
Speaking of barley, much of the barley used for the whisky production will be from MacMillan’s croft, with any additional grain being sourced as locally as possible. The barley will also be fertilised using seaweed from the nearby shoreline.
To help him achieve his goal, MacMillan hired Brendon McCarron as distillery manager. McCarron bring with him a wealth of experience from his previous roles at Oban Distillery, Glenmorangie Company and Distell (who own Bunnahabhain, Tobermory and Deanston).
Under McCarron’s stewardship, the distillery hope to produce a classically maritime single malt, with notes of smoke, sweet peat and a coastal saltiness. They will be using light-to-medium peated malted barley, so the smoky character won’t totally dominate softer, floral notes.
The heather-peated barley will be used to produce a special batch of spirit annually.
Benbecula aims to produce around 350,000 litres of whisky a year and also has plans to make gin. In terms of maturation, the distillery will use both bourbon and sherry casks to age their spirit.
The distillery is also visually impressive. A lighthouse-esque, glass-walled extension protrudes from the main building, showing off one of the distillery’s copper pot stills.
Mr MacMillan is understandably proud of the work undertaken at Benbecula Distillery, saying that “After quite a journey over the past few years, it’s fantastic to see the first spirit flowing at Benbecula Distillery. There’s 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 that will capture the essence of this unique place.”
The Scotch whisky industry has many rules and regulations as to what can and cannot be called scotch. As important as they are to safeguarding the integrity of Scotland’s greatest export, some would argue that these rules stifle innovation.
It’s therefore refreshing to see an upstart brand look to the past to set themselves apart from their contemporaries. Reviving old techniques and practices might be one way to help push the industry forward.
With the spirit only just beginning to flow at Benbecula Distillery, we’ve obviously got a few years to wait before seeing the effects of these processes. But when using a 130 year old recipe, we’re sure waiting a few more years won’t be a problem.
