As word of our Isle of Harris Gin spreads, the challenges of sharing our island spirit with the world have grown.
We distil, fill, seal and ship every bottle right here in our home village of Tarbert and ship every order across land and sea to eager customers across the UK.
We also send our gin to 14 different countries across the world, from North America to New Zealand. No mean feat for a distillery located in the heart of the remote Scottish Outer Hebrides.
The complexity of our product range has also grown, with beautiful glasses and gift sets adding to the Harris gin-drinking experience.
Finally, we have an eye on the horizon, knowing The Hearach, our inaugural single malt whisky, will be with us in the future, creating even more demand on our distillery team.
So, in true crofting spirit and island style, we’ve been making plans to adapt and overcome, rising to the challenge of our business success so far.
The first step has been to create a new department, joining two previously separate operations into a dedicated Bottling & Logistics team.
We’ve also created a new role to lead this endeavour, and we’re delighted to welcome John Maywaters as the latest addition to our distillery family and the man charged with heading up our plans.
John was born and bred in Portsmouth where he started working life in the shipbuilding industry as a coppersmith before venturing into design and manufacturing, gaining 30 years of invaluable experience in the retail and shopfitting sectors.
But a trip to Harris was to take him and his wife in a new direction…
“When we first visited the island, we were completely bowled over by the massive skies, stunning beaches and the fresh, clean air. And of course, there’s abundant wildlife. So, when we found our ‘forever’ home here, it was such an easy move to make.”
John’s new role within our company also seemed like an ideal fit…
“I wanted to be in a position whereby I could contribute to an island-based business, and this opportunity was perfect, with its social distillery ethos and a fabulous brand I just knew it would be a great place to work.”
As our Bottling and Logistics Manager John will be ensuring all our customers receive their orders in perfect condition and to the highest standard, on time and in full.
There will also be the multiple demands of storage, shipping, international technicalities, staffing and movement of goods, all wrapped up with a need to drive efficiency and improve performance as the years go by.
But John’s off to a good start already, effortlessly settling in with the rhythms of distillery life.
“The first week has been absolutely brilliant, the workplace is nothing short of inspirational with its build, location and views, the people are so welcoming and have a fantastic knowledge of the processes and product at every level, something that everyone should be (and are!) proud of. It makes me very excited to be part of the team.”
We’re thrilled to have John join us on this journey and help us realise our long-term ambitions to help our Harris community survive and thrive over many more exciting years to come.