The Arran Malt

Back in the early 1800s there were many small stills to be found across the island. Not all of them were legal, but all made superlative spirit. Arran has always been a fine place to make good whisky, but when quantity was prized over quality our wee island couldn’t compete economically, and one by one the distilleries fell into disuse.

Lagg Distillery closes its doors

In 1840 the original Lagg Distillery, operating on the site of a former flax mill in the village of Lagg on the southern tip of the Isle of Arran, closed its doors due to poor management, difficulties with transportation, and competition from larger mainland distilleries.

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1993

The search began on the Isle of Arran to find the perfect site for the new distillery on the island. Lochanza was eventually settled upon as the water there was of such high quality.

1994

We revived the tradition when we built our new distillery in Lochranza, at the north end of the island. Building work started on the distillery on 16th December.

The eagles make their home

Building was shortly halted to allow a pair of golden eagles to nest high in the hills above our Lochranza home. The eagles have become a big part of our distillery and come back most years to nest. They can sometimes be seen flying high above the distillery and have been reported to make several 'fly pasts' on big occasions.

1995

First spirit ran through the spirit safe at 2.29pm on 29th June 1995.

The Distillery was officially opened on August 17th.

1997

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Visitor Centre was opened on 9th August by Her Majesty The Queen and two casks were presented to her for Princes William and Harry. These casks are still slumbering peacefully in Warehouse 1.

1998

After 3 years of maturation, the first cask of Arran Single Malt Scotch Whisky was opened on 25th July by Scottish film star Ewan McGregor. This was the first legal dram on Arran for over 160 years. In this year, we released our first ever 3 year-old Arran Single Malt. Ewan's cask is still with us, resting quietly alongside the Princes' casks.

2006

The first official commercially available Arran Malt 10 year-old was released in the Spring. It has undergone quite a few makeovers since the first bottlings! Bottled at 46% non-chillfiltered, it remains at the heart of the Arran range.