Our Island Distillery

The population of the Isle of Harris has declined by almost 50% over the last 50 years as young people leave to seek work far from our shores.

These changes threaten local traditions, culture, and language as well as leaving schools and village numbers dwindling.

The Isle of Harris Distillery was built to help address these issues by creating sustainable local employment and offer long-term careers for those who wish to stay and set down roots in their island home.

From distilling and blending, to marketing and hospitality - there are a wide variety of skillsets and development opportunities available to local people as we create two beautiful Outer Hebridean spirits and bring them to the world.

We regularly offer placements and internships for young people to help them explore potential career paths, and we've developed our current distilling team through formal apprenticeships and training.

Together with other like-minded island enterprises we seek to act as a catalyst of change and a symbol of promise for this generation and those still to come.

Isle of Harris Distillers Ltd is committed giving back to our island and its community through the work we do.

As well as creating jobs, we work hard to tell our island's story and encourage people to connect with our island. As a leading visitor destination in the Outer Hebrides we strive to bring others closer to this special place and inspire them to visit.

We try to work closely with other local organisations, enterprises, and businesses to support each other's work through creative ideas and collaborations when we can.

Our team are given paid service days to volunteer on social projects like local beach cleans, and we regularly host community events at the distillery, attend school career fairs, and participate in local events.

We donate prizes to many local raffles and fundraisers, sponsor equipment for our local football club Harris FC, and always try to use local suppliers and services in our work.

In 2024 we plan to double-down on this commitment to our community with an exciting new initiative, so watch this space...

We invite you to play a part in our plans and support our work to help our island survive and thrive.

Simply buying Isle of Harris Gin and The Hearach single malt is perhaps the easiest, finest and most enjoyable way to do so, and we encourage you to share these beautiful bottles with friends and family as special gifts given with good taste.

You can also follow us and share our social media stories, and stay connected to our work and wider community digitally. Even better, why not subscribe to our stories and connect with us every week through your inbox?

We'd love for you to make the journey to our door here Tarbert to take a tour and spend time exploring this wonderful island we call home. Along the way you can meet all the other great food and drink providers, small businesses, and creative folk who live here too.

Most of all you can help us by simply telling others about our work. Like every islander knows - word of mouth is the best way to spread good news!