Abhainn Dearg Distillery, Lewis: Scotland’s Westernmost Malt

Overview

Abhainn Dearg (say “aveen jarrak”, Gaelic for “red river”) is the most westerly distillery in Scotland. It stands at Uig on the wild Atlantic coast of the Isle of Lewis. It was founded by local man Mark Tayburn in a former salmon hatchery, and production began in September 2008. It was one of the first legal whisky distilleries in the Outer Hebrides in modern times. Its stills were made in the shape of the old illicit stills of the island. The first whisky, the “Spirit of Lewis”, appeared in 2011.

Where it is

The distillery is at Carnish in Uig, at the end of the B8011, about 35 miles (around 1 hour) west of Stornoway. Stornoway is reached by ferry from Ullapool or by air. The road passes through some of the emptiest and most beautiful country in Britain, with the great white sands of Uig Bay close by.

The full history

The red river

The distillery takes its name from the river beside it. Local legend says the Abhainn Dearg ran red with blood after islanders defeated a band of Viking raiders. Lewis was part of the Norse kingdom for centuries, and many of its place names are Norse.

Whisky returns to the Outer Hebrides

The Outer Hebrides had a long history of illicit distilling but almost no legal distilleries. Mark Tayburn set out to change that. He converted a former salmon hatchery at Carnish, keeping some of the fish pens still in use, and added a new stillhouse. He had the stills made in the shape of the old smugglers’ stills found on the island. Production began in September 2008.

Spirit of Lewis and beyond

The first release, the “Spirit of Lewis”, came in 2011. It was followed by a 3-year-old Special Edition of just 2,011 bottles at 46%, from bourbon casks. Later came a 10 Year Old, the oldest whisky ever made by a legal distillery in the Outer Hebrides.

How it’s made

Abhainn Dearg is tiny: one wash still and one spirit still, with a capacity of only about 20,000 litres a year. Water comes from Loch Raonasgail in the hills, via the Abhainn Dearg. It is one of the smallest and most hand-made whiskies in Scotland.

Clans, chessmen & the Norse

• The Lewis Chessmen were found in 1831 in the sand dunes at Ardroil, on Uig Bay, a couple of miles away. These 12th-century walrus-ivory chess pieces, probably made in Norway, are now in the British Museum and National Museum of Scotland. Large replicas stand at Uig.
• The MacLeods of Lewis ruled the island until the early 17th century.
• The Mackenzies of Kintail took Lewis around 1610, after the MacLeods’ fall, and ruled it as Earls of Seaforth.

Stones, lochs & brochs

• The Callanish Stones, about 20 miles east: a great cross-shaped setting of standing stones about 5,000 years old, one of the most important prehistoric sites in Britain.
• Clach an Trushal, at Ballantrushal in the north-west: the tallest standing stone in Scotland. See our standing stones guide.
• Dun Carloway: one of the best-preserved Iron Age brochs in Scotland, about 20 miles away.
• Loch Roag and the lochs of the Uig hills. See our lochs guide.

Visiting

Abhainn Dearg has a small, remote visitor centre. Tours and tastings are by arrangement, so contact the distillery before making the long drive out to Uig.

Nearby distilleries

• Isle of Harris, Tarbert (about 45 miles).
• Talisker and Torabhaig, Skye, via the Tarbert–Uig ferry.

The Skye & Hebrides Whisky Trail and the whisky hub cover the region.

Sources

• Abhainn Dearg distillery — Wikipedia.
• Historic Environment Scotland (Callanish, Dun Carloway).
• National Museums Scotland (Lewis Chessmen).