Arran Single Malt Whisky

Whisky history of the island

Although the Arran distillery is relatively young, the island itself has a storied whisky history. Isle of Arran has plenty of fertile land and the farmers in the southern part of the island had sufficient barley to work with. When self-distilling and small stills were banned in the 18th century, these farmers had no trouble illegally distilling whisky.

The infrastructure to nearby Glasgow was excellent. The demand for smuggled whisky only increased during that period, leading to a thriving but illegal whisky industry on Arran. When the legislation changed, a distillery was opened in the village of Lagg in 1825, but it closed its doors again in 1837.

A young offspring

Arran is located in the village of Lochranza and opened its doors in 1995. This happened under the leadership of Harold Currie, the former general manager of Chivas BrothersThe northern part of the island has traditionally not been known for whisky production. However, the Isle of Arran distillery was opened here, due to the excellent water source and the potential for whisky tourism. In hindsight, it proved to be a smart choice.

In the beginning, the distillery sold many whisky casks to private individuals to earn some money in the early years. Whisky must be at least 3 years old, making it financially challenging for a new distillery in its early years. The popularity of those casks was high, and many people bought a whisky cask from Arran during that time. Over time, Arran has significantly reduced the sale of casks, as too little remained for their own bottlings.

The very first whisky from Arran appeared on the market in 1998. At that time, it was a 3-year-old: the distillery did not yet have older whisky. However, over the years, Arran's assortment has greatly expanded. They have whiskies of various ages and aged in different types of casks, such as Sauternes, Amarone, or Port casks. Under the name Machrie Moor, Isle of Arran Distillers even markets a smoky whisky.

Buy Arran Whisky online

Although Arran falls short in terms of heritage compared to some of the well-known, centuries-old Scottish distilleries, the single malt from this distillery is already hugely popular. Over the years, several limited editions have been released that sold out time and again in no time. But the standard available whiskies from Arran are also not to be missed. Just take a look at the selection in the Tasting Collection webshop, because there is undoubtedly something delicious for you among them. Ordering online is easy and we ensure that you have your bottle of Arran whisky at home quickly.