8^th of May 2019 marks the day that the Isle of Barra Distillers were granted full approval by HMRC for a full distilling licence and also bonded warehouse facilities. A huge step forward for everyone involved, especially when original plan for this milestone was to be near the end of 2020, a full 18 months ahead of schedule. A testament to the hard work and dedication that has been put in over the short 2 years since the company embarked on this journey.

Going forward we hope to have our ‘mini still’ installed in the coming weeks while our main, 300 litre still, is being commissioned by Forsyth’s. The arrival of our bottling equipment is imminent meaning that in the coming weeks we will be in a position to begin test running the first ever Island distilled spirit here on Barra.

By mid to late May we will be releasing information on how and when the first batch of our very own spirit which has been distilled, bottled and labelled here on Barra will be available to purchase, exciting times!

Such an achievement cannot be done alone and without the help of so many along the way we  have a lot of people to thank. A special mention goes to the amazing community on the Isle of Barra, the team at Nicolson Accountancy and to Sue especially, everyone at Business Gateway Lynne, Catherine, Marion and everyone else that has helped, to Highlands & Islands Enterprise, the amazing team at D8 Design in Glasgow, everyone at Benchmark Packaging that have always been there for advice and to everyone that has supported us along the way whether through words of support or by purchasing a bottle of our Island spirit. We can't thank you all enough! 

“What can we say? The team and everyone involved has worked so hard for this day to come and we are so very grateful for everyone that has helped along the way. Although it marks the beginning of a new chapter, we can’t forget everything we have achieved over the past 2 years that has led us to this point. We really can’t express how big this is and how much of an impact it will have not only on the Isle of Barra Distillers but also the Isle of Barra itself. Yes, this is an important step forward but rest assured we’re now looking at the next chapter, whisky!”

Katie Morrison, Part Owner Isle of Barra Distillers

The weeks and months ahead are sure to filled with excitement, pride and plenty of fun. Above everything else that we have achieved already and will do in the future from this journey we’re on, it is the thought of giving something back to this beautiful Island that drives the Isle of Barra Distillers forward. We feel we owe it to the island and to the community – we have the opportunity to do something great and that is exactly what we’re going to do. It is this passion and belief that must surely make the story of the Isle of Barra Distillers one to look out for.

We are the Isle of Barra's first distillery….we are the Isle of Barra Distillers!