Whisky Galore (for approximately five hours): New Harris dram flies off the shelves

The Isle of Harris Distillery’s ‘The Hearach’ whisky enjoyed a sell-out launch last weekend.

The award-winning company raised the first dram on Friday afternoon, and sales opened on Saturday morning.

Within less than five hours it had sold out online, with huge queues outside the distillery in Tarbert.

The anticipated demand was so high that police helped to manage crowds in the car park.

Extraordinary scenes here at the distillery, we really do have the best customers! Thank you all for your patience! pic.twitter.com/w27MEJfJUf

— Isle of Harris Distillery (@harrisdistiller) September 23, 2023

Sales of the whisky “managed to surpass all our expectations”, the distillery said in an Instagram post.

Whisky lovers who missed out on the online sales will have more opportunities to get their hands on a bottle, they said.

The whisky will be available at “specialist retailers throughout the UK” from October 2.

Visitors can also pick up a bottle from the distillery itself – while stocks last.

‘For, with, and from the Isle of Harris’

The Hearach is the distillery’s first foray into whisky after years of producing some of the world’s most acclaimed gin.

Launched in 2015 with just ten staff members, Isle of Harris Gin took home the top prize in 2022’s Global Gin Masters awards.

Now, they may be poised to conquer the world of whisky as well.

The days of the The Hearach’s launch were “some of the most memorable of our island lives,” the distillery said on Saturday. 

“Our distillery was built to be for, with, and from the Isle of Harris, and we’re proud to keep going from strength to strength with your help.

“By creating sustainable local jobs, we will always act as a catalyst of change and a symbol of promise for this generation and those still to come.”

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