Isle of Harris

Founded by Anderson 'Burr' Bakewell in September 2015 in the small town of Tarbert on the equally small isle of Harris, the distillery has a core focus on the people who live on the island along with the beauty of the place itself.

'Hearach' is the first Single Malt Whisky release from the distillery, who had grown an excellent reputation thanks to it's delicious gin contained within a distinctive bottle. In terms of the whisky, 100% Scottish barley is used, with maturation taking place in a combination of first-fill ex-Bourbon casks from Buffalo Trace and Heaven Hill alongside first-fill ex-Oloroso and ex-Fino Sherry barrels. None of the whisky blended together in younger than 4 years old, and the initial release has been launched in 8 seperate batches due to the size of the business, each batch numbering about 13,000 bottles.

A small amount of peated barley has been used, with a phenol level of around 12-15 PPM. This introduces a soft, sweet smokiness to what is already a gently sweet whisky - the smoke evokes a bonfire somewhere off in the distance, with elements of cinnamon rolls, toasted marshmallow and candied ginger.

It's incredibly approachable - indeed, the Harris Gin was also on the slightly sweeter side, so it certainly fits with the 'house' style of spirit they are producing. It will certainly be interesting to see how the whisky develops over time, as I think some drinkers might find this a little too much on the sweet side for them. Personally I'm really enjoying it, with that soft, sweet smoke reminding me of the likes of Filey Bay Peated Finish.