ARRAN DISTILLERY
Grinduro : On your website, you say that great malt whisky is a distillation of the place it’s made. What about your whisky speaks to its origins on Arran?
Jaclyn Mckie: We are the first functioning distillery on the island for over 160 years, but we are also the latest in a long line of stills producing ‘The Arran Waters’.
Perfectly placed to hide whisky from the exciseman, and transport it up the Clyde to Glasgow, Arran was a hub of whisky making in the 17th and 18th centuries. Our Smugglers’ Series was a celebration of this. A trio of bottlings all concealed in packaging designed to resemble leather-bound books.
A couple of years ago we undertook a complete redesign of the core range to reflect the landscape of Arran. Purple grouse, green moors, blue seas – all were incorporated match the spirit that is drawn from the island itself.
Our inspiration comes from the island. From its rich history to the very mountains that surround the distillery.
We’ve heard that the Arran water, air and climate have something special; what do these add to the whisky? Are there any other particular ingredients you use that give your whisky a distinct quality or taste?
We get our water directly from Loch na Davie, in the mountains above the distillery. In terms of ingredients, we don’t believe in tampering with tried and tested methods: water and barley, distilled with care.
A point of difference between us and other distilleries is the speed at which we run our spirit through the stills. At six litres per minute, we are one of the slowest in the industry. This results in the fruity notes that have become our trademark, due to increased contact with the copper of the stills.
You clearly take immense pride in your home on Arran and have an admirable sense of place, can you tell us more about the Distillery’s relationship with Arran and the local community?
Arran is a small island – every business and every person is part of a close knit community. We’re all aware of the fact that if one of us does well, we all do.
This is why we are putting so much investment back into the island. Our new £100m distillery at Lagg is going to boost tourism in the south of the island, which is often neglected. Back in the north, at Lochranza, we’ve invested a further £1m in renovations
In the Distillery’s relatively short 22 years, you’ve been blessed with a considerable amount of royal and celebrity visits, awards and honors. What is a moment or achievement that you’re particularly proud of?
We’re very proud to have two casks set aside in our warehouse for Price Harry and the Duke of Cambridge, plus another for film royalty Ewan McGreggor.
One of the most satisfying things is to see just how far the ‘Arran Waters’ have travelled. We export to over 150 countries around the world and our White Stag society frequently brings the most dedicated fans together at tastings and events.
Our visitor centre has seen international visitors go out of their way for a dram of the Arran malt from the source – we even won ‘Best Contribution to Wine or Spirits Tourism’ at the international Drinks Business Awards.
Above all, we are driven by a desire to produce the best possible spirit and lay the ground work for many more decades of whisky production of the Isle of Arran.
We can’t wait to crack into a bottle after finishing Grinduro, any tasting hints for the beer-swilling cyclists among us?
The first thing to note is that the Arran Malt is very different to other scotches. While we do have our popular peated Machrie Moor, our core aged range are fruiter then many would expect with our trademark citrus tones.
This makes Arran whisky a great introduction to those less-familiar with Scotch whisky, who might be put off by the more smoky palattes of heavily-peated malts.
Our Robert Burns Single Malt goes particularly well in cocktails, or with a splash of ginger ale for anyone looking to dip their toes in the water.
In terms of a simple dram, a drop of water can bring out new depths of flavor. The 14 year old single malt is a personal favourite of our master distiller, James MacTaggart with its spicy tones balancing the sweetness of toffee and vanilla.