ISLE OF HARRIS - The Hearach - 46%
The Isle of Harris Distillery is located on the Isle of Harris , in the Scottish Hebrides. It officially opened in September 2015, although the story of the island's first commercial distillery begins several years earlier. Musicologist Anderson Bakewell , who owned property on nearby Scarp Island, was troubled by the dwindling population of Harris, an island that was deeply close to his heart. His plan was to create a business that would not only engage the local community, but also provide an attractive long-term employment solution for Harris residents. Shortly after choosing a site on the main north-south road through Tarbert, the Bakewell project secured the largest public grant awarded to a food and drink company in Scottish history. Other grants and private investments quickly poured in from around the world. When it opened, the Isle of Harris Distillery employed 10 workers, a number that will rise to more than 50 by 2023.
The Hearach (the name given to the island's inhabitants) is the distillery's first Single Malt whisky , inspired by the distilling traditions lost during the Pabbay Clearances; one of many depopulation operations that took place in Harris during the 1800s. The Hearach is released in batches of approximately 12,000 bottles, each batch is blended for at least 12 weeks and the youngest spirit in each batch has 5 years. Each batch of The Hearach is prepared according to the same recipe however, there are subtle and natural variations between each which reflect the barrels chosen and the length of vatting. The lots are distinguished with a special combination of letters and numbers on each cap. The code may refer to a specifically blended batch, a batch from a single barrel, a batch from a certain type of maturation, or some other unique factor in its design.
The Hearach is made from Scottish Concerto variety barley. Two fermentations take place; a long fermentation of 120 hours for 60% of the production and a short fermentation of 70 hours for 40% of the production. Maturation lasts a minimum of 5 years in warehouse 1 located in Ardhasaig in 3 types of barrels : ex-Bourbon (64% Buffalo Trace and 21% Heaven Hill), ex-Oloroso sherry (11%) and ex-Fino sherry (4 %) . The batches were assembled for 19 weeks and 4 days before bottling which took place between July 19 and August 1, 2023.
Lightly Peated (14.1 ppm)
