A Western Highlands distillery is targeting £70,000 in sales and potential new job creation with the release of its latest limited edition single malt whisky.
Badachro Distillery near Gairloch will produce just 1,200 hand-filled and numbered bottles of its £56.95 Bad na h-Achlaise Port Cask whisky, aged for several years in bourbon barrels and filled in ruby port containers.
Aiming for those who are looking for something quirky
The Highlands company is targeting two main markets – “those who know their way around a whisky reasonably well” and are looking for something a bit quirky – as well as the tourist trade which is now starting to return as pandemic restrictions ease.
Distillery managing director Gordon Quinn hit on the idea for the new brand when visiting a Speyside cooperage near Aberlour and “nosing” various ruby port casks.
“Our new port cask expression reflects the tranquillity and peacefulness of our corner of the Scottish Highlands,” noted Mr Quinn.
“We selected ruby port casks for their dark chocolate and red fruit influence and, once all four finishing casks were married together, we knew we had created a unique single malt.”
Small batch proves an instant hit
The limited-edition whisky has proved an instant hit as 900 bottles of Bad na h-Achlaise Port Cask have already been sold, with Mr Quinn ruefully acknowledging lack of space is hampering production of large volumes.
“Because we are such a tiny distillery, we struggle for space, so we can’t do large runs,” he told the Press and Journal. “We have sold around 900 (bottles), mostly to off-trade (off-licences, supermarkets) around the Highlands.
“We have exported a little bit to our German, Austrian and Netherlands importers. The rest of it we are selling in markets, through our website and our little shop here at the distillery.”
North Coast 500 driving distillery visitors
Badachro Distillery is just three miles off the North Coast 500 route and receives a significant passing number of visitors wanting to take advantage of the free tasting on offer.
However, the distillery’s popularity coupled with the rise in campervan traffic as stay-cationing boomed during the pandemic, meant it became a “victim” of its own success with a squeeze on car parking, although this has now been remedied to provide more space.
Supplier costs rising
In line with so many other businesses, Badachro is seeing a rapid increase in supplier prices from bottles and cardboard for example, but has so far managed to absorb the extra costs, although it “is starting to hurt.”
Bottle costs alone rose 9% in December, by the same amount in January and 10% in March, a “massive” increase.
“We are kind of working on the basis the increase in volume will cover for the slightly reduced margin and have avoided putting our prices up so far,” Mr Quinn added.
“There have been so many variables with Brexit, Covid and now the Ukraine/Russia situation.”
Badachro Distillery looking to hire
The company, which confines itself to noting it has a “six-figure turnover,” is nonetheless keen to expand staffing levels, particularly with regards to younger people.
“We will employ more people because it is one of the objectives of the distillery to make a living, but also to create some full-time, permanent, year-round jobs here,” said Mr Quinn.
“We have kids around here and they have inevitably gone away to find education or work and we would love them to come back and live here and have full-time jobs. We would love to train some of our own future staff.”
Bad na h-Achlaise Port Cask is available from www.badachrodistillery.com and selected stockists.