Arran is a small island with soaring hills, rugged coasts, fertile farmland and dense forests, all concentrated into a compact landscape floating in the Firth of Clyde between the Ayrshire coast and the Kintyre peninsula. Known as “Scotland in miniature,” it mirrors the character of both Highlands and Lowlands, mainland and Western Isles. Great malt whisky is a distillation of its place, and Isle of Arran whisky could come from nowhere else but this twenty-mile-long rock.
The company owns and operates two distilleries on the island: Lochranza in the north and Lagg in the south. Lochranza produces unpeated single malt with a fruity, sweet-spice character, while Lagg crafts a heavily peated, smoky whisky lifted by a bright island citrus freshness.
Lochranza Distillery celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2025, having been one of the first of Scotland’s new generation of independent distilleries in the early 1990s. Building work began on 16 December 1994, but was briefly halted to allow a pair of golden eagles to nest high in the hills above. The eagles have since become part of the distillery’s story, returning most years to nest. The first spirit ran through the spirit safe at 2:29 pm on 29 June 1995.
Lagg Distillery, built from scratch in 2019, revives the historic distilling heritage of the island’s southern end. The original Lagg Distillery, operating from a former flax mill, closed its doors in 1840 due to poor management, transport challenges and competition from mainland producers. Today, its namesake brings whisky-making back to the south, offering visitors a chance to experience both sides of the island – from the dramatic peaks of the north, home to unpeated Arran single malt, to the broad agricultural landscapes of the south, where the smoky, peated Lagg single malt awaits. One island, two distilleries.
For the team, everything begins and ends with their island home. As the only distillers on Arran, they take pride in sharing a little piece of this idyllic west-coast landscape with the world. Their whiskies are bottled without chill-filtration, free of added colouring, and celebrated for their depth, complexity and character – a true expression of the island itself.
