Isle of Arran Distillery in Lochranza, Isle of Arran, United Kingdom | Distillery

Welcome to Isle of Arran Distillery, Lochranza, Scotland. A dynamic new force in the scotch whisky industry, Isle of Arran Distillery is one of the few remaining independent distilleries in Scotland. Based at Lochranza, on the Isle of Arran, one of the most beautiful and famous in Scotland which lies off the West Coast between Ayrshire and Kintyre.

Arran is a unique island known as 'Scotland in Miniature', for it has all of the scenery of Scotland, with mountains and lowlands, glens, lochs and royal castles (including one at Lochranza). Early in the 19th century there were more than 50 whisky distilleries on Arran, most of them illegal and carefully hidden from the eyes of the taxmen. The malt from Arran was shipped to the mainland and enjoyed by the gentry who regularly "took the Arran waters". It was acclaimed at the time as the best in Scotland, only rivalled by those from the 'Glen of Livet'.

Following a survey by the Geology Department of Glasgow University, the owner was was advised to open his new Isle of Arran Distillery on Arran for three reasons:

They had found the purest water supply in all of Scotland at Loch na Davie, high in the hills that overlook the village of Lochranza on the North coast of Arran.  Arran is washed by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and enjoys a microclimate - ideal for the speedy maturation of single malt whiskies.  As already stated, the Island already enjoyed a reputation for producing top quality - if illegal - whisky.