Water
Off the hill, not the mains
The burn runs peaty and soft over granite. In a dry August we stop distilling rather than switch source, which costs us about three weeks most years.
Distilling on the Sound of Sleat since 1884
We fill about four hundred casks a year and lose roughly two percent of each to the air. Everything we bottle has been asleep in this building for at least twelve winters, and we will tell you exactly which cask yours came out of.
12
Years, minimum, in oak
402
Casks filled last year
2
Copper stills, both originals
Everything else here is modern. These three are not, because we tried the modern version and preferred the old one.
Water
The burn runs peaty and soft over granite. In a dry August we stop distilling rather than switch source, which costs us about three weeks most years.
Ferment
Six Oregon pine washbacks, long ferments, and a house yeast we have kept going since the 1970s. Stainless would be easier to clean and would taste like it.
Cut
The stillman decides where the middle cut starts and stops. Two people hold that job and they disagree slightly, which is why casks from alternating weeks taste different.
Every bottle carries its cask number. This is what is left of each, including the two that will not be bottled.
| Cask | Filled | Wood | Strength | Bottles left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 118 | 2009 | First-fill oloroso butt | 54.2% | 212 |
| No. 204 | 2011 | Refill hogshead | 51.8% | 388 |
| No. 226 | 2011 | Virgin oak, heavy char | 57.1% | 96 |
| No. 341 | 2013 | Refill barrel | 49.6% | 470 |
| No. 087 | 2006 | Port pipe | 46.9% | Under strength, will not be bottled |
| No. 155 | 2010 | Refill hogshead | Leaked, 2019 | Lost, recorded here anyway |
Six people at a time, ninety minutes, and you taste straight from the cask with a valinch. There is no gift shop. There is a bench outside facing the water, which is better.
Book a Thursday