Historic island landmark to become whisky centre
The couple in charge at North Uist Distillery have acquired the iconic Nunton Steadings on the neighbouring Isle of Benbecula.
The plan is to convert the historic u-shaped landmark into a base for production of the first whisky to be legally distilled in the southern islands of the Outer Hebrides.
Master distiller Jonny Ingledew and creative director Kate MacDonald, of the North Uist Distillery, plan to redevelop it as a distillery and visitor centre.
It provides the couple with space to distil whisky and build on the success of their popular range of premium ‘Downpour’ gins which were launched last year.
It could also become a hub for the community and visitors, with pop-up events held there - a crowdfunding appeal is expected later in the year.
Jonny said: ‘Our main goal has always been to put the islands on the whisky map and therefore we are incredibly excited to have secured Nunton Steadings which will allow us to fulfil our whisky dream.
The couple plan to make whisky using a grain that local crofters produce, Bere barley, which is one of the oldest cereals grown in the UK.
Jonny said: ‘At one time all whisky would have been made from Bere barley but it was changed out for higher yielding barleys. Bere tastes incredible and is not mass produced, so it retains a remarkable flavour that we want to harness.’
The hope is to work with crofters to create a supply chain of Bere barley on the islands with the intention of one day being able to malt the barley themselves, allowing for full ‘grain to glass’ production in the new premises.
Kate said: ‘Nunton Steadings has beautiful original features, such as the cobbled floors on the south side of the building, which will be the perfect home for our whisky casks during maturation.
‘We will be providing tours which will cover the whisky and gin production process, and also share the stories of this historic building and the surrounding areas.’
Nunton Steadings was the scene of several important chapters in the island’s history and is one of the oldest surviving structures in the Western Isles.
Nunton Steadings was constructed in its current form in the early 1700s on the site of a nunnery dating back to 1300.
Bonnie Prince Charlie took shelter while on the run in the aftermath of Culloden.
Built on what was then a substantial farm, the structure and land was seized when crofters raided Nunton in the aftermath of the Great War. Local crofters housed cattle and stored animal feed inside the building until it fell into disrepair.
It was transferred to the Uist Buildings Preservation Trust, later renamed Nunton Steading Trust, which saw the building renovated in the late 1990s.
Nunton Steading Trust placed the building on the market earlier in 2020.
Kate and Jonny are keen to give the community ownership of the venture.
The crowdfunder aims to raise money to procure whisky equipment, which has been sized to create a single cask with each production run.
It is anticipated the kit will be purchased in March 2021, once finance is secured, with production starting in 2022.