Ahead of our first summer as a fully functioning Hebridean whisky distillery, our visitor centre team took a little mid-week trip from Uist to Skye to visit some of our friends and neighbours on The Hebridean Whisky Trail, gathering some inspiration for our own brand new whisky tours and tastings.
Grabbing an early morning ferry from Lochmaddy we drove through Skye to Sconser for the picture perfect 25 minute crossing to the tiny Isle of Raasay and their shiny new distillery. A short walk from the ferry terminal the Isle of Raasay Distillery produces delicious Hebridean gin and whisky in a beautifully designed building. We were given a behind the scenes tour by the incredibly hospitable Chloe and Ross, and if there is a still with a better view anywhere in Scotland then we’d love to see it!
Our chat on the ferry back was all about when we could fit in a return visit with a stay in their gorgeous accommodation, Raasay being the only distillery in Scotland where you can stay overnight and eat at their on site restaurant, making it a perfect place to end a day on the Hebridean Whisky Trail.
From Raasay we headed back to Skye and drove south past Broadford to the Sleat peninsula, where we were blown away by the breathtaking setting of Torabhaig Distillery. Slightly older than Raasay, but still only operating for ten years, Torabhaig is situated in a beautiful converted steading building where they make their delicious range of whiskies and welcome guests to their visitor centre.
We were led on a fascinating tour and tasting by Lesley, who gave us both a fantastic insight into Torabhaig's history and answered our many questions about the nuts and bolts of leading Hebridean whisky tours for guests to the distillery.
Like something out of a fairytale, Torabhaig Distillery manages to feel like it’s been hidden away in its jaw-dropping Skye location forever, despite being a relative newcomer to Scottish whisky and the building being pretty much derelict just ten years ago. Very inspiring for fellow renovators of a historic steading building!
After a much needed early night to process everything we had seen (and tasted), we set off in the morning to Carbost for the oldest whisky producers in Skye and one of Scotland’s most popular visitor attractions, Talisker Distillery. We joined a tasting tour with tour guide Christy, who led us through the history of the impressive distillery and a tasting of three of their whiskies in their state of the art visitor centre.
The scale and history of Talisker make it something of a contrast to the newer distilleries of the Hebrides and it was fascinating to end our trip at such a longstanding pillar of Hebridean and Scottish whisky.
At the end of our 24 hours in Skye we headed home on the ferry filled with inspiration and ideas. Visiting these three very different distilleries was a fantastic reminder of the wealth of whisky expertise and innovation happening here in the Hebrides and how lucky we are to be part of such a rich heritage.
If you’ve been thinking about visiting the Hebridean Whisky Trail this summer we couldn’t recommend it more. Head over to the HWT website for more information and a range of itineraries and don't hesitate to drop us a message if you plan to make Uist a part of your trail. We’d absolutely love to welcome you to our own small but perfectly formed, brand new, Hebridean whisky distillery!
