North Uist Distillery has run the inaugural distillation of its new make spirit at the restored Nunton Steadings, its 18th-century home. Founded in 2019, the move to Nunton Steadings is recent for North Uist — the site was acquired in 2020 and redeveloped over the past years to become the new distillery.
Situated on the island of Benbecula, the Hebridean distillery is led by co-founders Kate Macdonald and Jonny Ingledew. The distillery is B Corp-certified and carbon neutral, and aims to produce whisky that reflects its surroundings.
Macdonald explained: “We want to produce amazing whisky that honours and protects the land it comes from. That’s why our long-term goal is to have grain-to-glass whisky production using heritage bere barley, grown, malted, distilled and bottled at our historic home at Nunton Steadings. This first distillation is another important step towards that ambition.”
North Uist's new make is distilled from locally grown barley, including bere barley, a grain well-adapted to the Hebridean climate which fell out of favour for whisky distilling due to relatively low yields.
Ingledew commented: “Distilling whisky here is about more than just the spirit in the cask — it’s about honouring the past while supporting the future of our islands.
“By using bere barley grown on Uist’s machair, we’re investing in a resilient crop that has evolved with our unique environment over hundreds of years. It’s a true taste of Uist and Benbecula and of the past, present and future we want for our community.”
The distillation takes place in "squat" stills with downward-facing arms, designed to fit beneath the low ceilings of Nunton Steadings. The distillery will use ex-bourbon, new oak, and oloroso-seasoned casks to mature its new make. Distillery manager and head distiller Jacob Crisp will produce one cask of whisky per day.
The announcement sees North Uist join a growing cohort of whisky makers in the Outer Hebrides. Another island distillery, Benbecula also ran its first distillation earlier this year.
