Abhainn Dearg

In 2008, a significant shift occurred in the world of Scottish whisky production when Marko Tayburn established the Abhainn Dearg distillery on the remote western coast of the island. This distillery, situated in Red River (Abhainn Dearg), earned the distinction of being the most isolated whisky-making site in all of Scotland.

Unconventional in his approach, Tayburn chose not to commission the stills from a typical supplier like Forsyth's of Rothes. Instead, he took matters into his own hands, designing and crafting the stills himself. His inspiration came from an old illicit still he had come across. The distillery also features a pair of compact mash tuns, wooden washbacks (purchased externally), and an extended four-day fermentation process.

One distinguishing feature of Abhainn Dearg's stills is their elongated necks, resembling witches' hats, and slender descending lyne arms that lead into external worm tubs. The distillery produces a combination of unpeated and peated spirits.

A significant milestone for Abhainn Dearg arrived in December 2018 when the distillery proudly unveiled its inaugural 10-year-old single malts. These releases marked a historic achievement, representing the oldest whisky produced by a legal distillery in the Outer Hebrides.