Lochranza Distillery (Arran)
Lochranza Distillery — the original home of Arran whisky — stands in the village of Lochranza at the northern tip of the Isle of Arran, within sight of the dramatic medieval ruins of Lochranza Castle. Founded in 1994 by Harold Currie, a former director of Chivas Brothers and a D-Day veteran, the distillery was one of Scotland's most significant new openings of the 1990s, bringing legal distilling back to an island with a long tradition of illicit production.
The distillery was funded through an innovative combination of private investors and "Founder's Bonds" — a scheme that gave early investors allocations of maturing whisky in return for their capital. First spirit ran through the stills at 2:29pm on 29 June 1995; the distillery officially opened on 17 August 1995. A famous story from the construction period: a pair of golden eagles nested on a nearby cliff and, as a protected species, temporarily halted building work. The water source is Loch na Davie. Isle of Arran Distillers Ltd. also operates the Lagg Distillery, which opened in 2019 to produce a heavily peated counterpart to Lochranza's unpeated style.
Tours
Available
On-site Shop
Open
Online Shop
Available
History
Harold Currie incorporated Arran Distillers Ltd. in 1994, drawing on his deep Scotch whisky industry knowledge from years at Chivas Brothers. The Founder's Bond scheme proved an effective fundraising model, and construction of the Lochranza site proceeded through 1994 and early 1995.
The golden eagle nesting incident, while it delayed construction, gave the distillery an enduring ecological association; a golden eagle remains part of the brand's iconography. First distillation took place in June 1995, and the first Founder's Bond allocations were honoured from 1998.
Currie sold his shares and stepped down from the board in 2003. The distillery continued to develop its range through the 2000s and 2010s. In 2016, Isle of Arran Distillers announced plans for a second distillery at Lagg, focused exclusively on heavily peated whisky — a strategic complement designed to give Arran Island a full spectrum of styles. Lagg opened in April 2019. With 30 years of production behind it, Lochranza now has enough aged stock for an 18 Year Old expression in the permanent core range, and the Robert Burns whisky makes Arran the only distillery licensed to use Burns' image and signature on packaging.
Production
Lochranza operates two wash stills and two spirit stills, with an annual capacity of approximately 750,000 litres. Water is drawn from Loch na Davie, a small loch in the hills above Lochranza. Primary cask types are American white oak and ex-bourbon, with ex-sherry casks used for the Sherry Cask and other specialist expressions. The distillery does not use peated malt in the core Arran range; the Machrie Moor expression is a separate peated series. The maritime climate of north Arran — sheltered from the Atlantic by the island itself but still sea-influenced — contributes to the gentle, fruity maturation character.
Tasting Character
Arran is known for a clean, fruity, and accessible style that makes an excellent contrast to the heavily peated malts of nearby Islay. The house character features clear citrus — oranges, limes — over a clean, grainy malt base. The Lochranza water (Loch na Davie) is soft and light, contributing to the freshness of the spirit. Core expressions gain depth with age: the 10 Year Old is bright and citrus-forward; the 14 Year Old adds vanilla and light spice; the 18 Year Old shows the full development of Arran's character with dried fruit and complex wood influence. The Sherry Cask is richer and darker, showing what Arran spirit does with extended sherry wood contact.
What They Produce
Notable Bottlings
- Arran 10 Year Old£41.98 — 46% ABV; bright citrus and fresh malt; the accessible entry point
- Arran 12 Year Old£82.95 — 46% ABV; citrus deepens to stone fruit; gentle vanilla from American oak
- Arran 14 Year Old£199.00 — 46% ABV; spice and dried fruit developing alongside the signature citrus
- Arran 18 Year Old£118.00 — 46% ABV; full expression of Arran's character; complex fruit, oak, and spice
- Arran Sherry Cask£58.99 — 55.8% ABV (cask strength); dark fruits, chocolate, and warming spice from ex-sherry maturation
- Arran Machrie Moor£60.00 — Peated expression; available in various forms; lightly smoky with the Arran fruit character
- Robert Burns Single Malt£39.90 — 43% ABV; the only whisky licensed to carry Burns' image and signature on packaging
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Visiting
Tours and tastings are available daily at Lochranza, led by professional guides. The Casks Café serves food and drinks on site. Electric vehicle charging is available. Part of VisitScotland's "Taste our Best" initiative. A physical shop and online shop are both available. For current tour times and booking, see arranwhisky.com.