Operators interested in acquiring their own cask of single malt have the chance to get in on the ground floor of the newly-opened Benbecula Distillery.
The facility, which began production in June, is selling 150 casks of its new make spirit to investors and enthusiasts.
The 250-litre first-fill ex Pedro Ximénez and oloroso sherry casks are being sold for £8000 and £7500, respectively.
The names of the buyers will be recorded on the walls of the distillery, cementing them in the history of the distillery for decades to come.
Benbecula’s spirit is described as ‘classically maritime in style’ with smoke on the nose and salty, sweetly-peated notes on the palate.
It has been created by master distiller Brendan McCarron using a recipe that is said to have been used by distilleries including Glen Ord and Highland Park.
The team uses light to medium-peated malt so that the smoke doesn’t override the spirit and ‘allows fruity and floral notes to shine through’. The barley itself is grown on the croft of distillery founder and owner, Angus MacMillan.
Although the casks for sale are ex-Pedro Ximénez and oloroso, the distillery will use a combination of ex-sherry and ex-bourbon casks for maturation moving forward. Around 350,000 litres of spirit will be produced there annually.
The distillery will also produce a gin and bottle its own rum.
Benbecula currently employs a team of ten, but staff numbers are expected to swell to 25 in the coming years.
MacMillan said: “Since we announced the start of production, we’ve had calls and emails from around the world inquiring about buying our whisky, as well as people arriving at the distillery to ask about it.
“We’re delighted that a dram which we believe truly encapsulates the unique essence of our island is causing so much interest and helping put Benbecula firmly on the whisky map of Scotland.”
