Uile-bheist Distillery: Cask Release Marks Whisky's Revival In Inverness

Photo Credit: Heartland Media/PR

Uile-bheist Distillery has launched a special limited release of quarter casks to celebrate the long-sought revival of malt whisky distilling in Inverness.

The Highland capital was once known as a 'malting town', but its links with distilling disappeared completely in the 1980s when its trinity of distilleries suddenly closed down, with major job losses.

Now Uile-bheist is reconnecting enthusiasts with that proud heritage by launching a trio of unique casks which mark a new beginning for single highland malt whisky production in the city.

Uile-bheist's malts, made using water from the River Ness, are the first to be produced in Inverness for over 40 years, since the demise of the Millburn, Glen Mhor and Glen Albyn distilleries.

The company's Head Distiller, Drew Shearer, says the new malt offerings, matured in charred, peated and un-peated casks, offer buyers a choice of layered, balanced and characterful whiskies - as well as a piece of history.

Whilst developing its new cask programme, the Uile-bheist team has also been working with historian Jason Julier, to piece together the remarkable stories of the lost city distilleries.

At one time, Novelist Neil Gunn was exciseman at Glen Mhor whilst 3 bottles of Mackinlay's malt, from the same distillery, were salvaged from the ice under Sir Ernest Shackleton's Cape Royds Antarctic expedition hut in 2010 and found to be near pristine after almost 120 years.

Honouring these traditions, whilst ushering in a modern chapter, Uile-bheist hope to incorporate some of the rare artefacts and images of the past for Tour visitors to its state-of-the-art distillery on Ness Bank. The new 125-litre cask offerings, from its youthful distilling team, evoke classic traits of Highland single malt production in Inverness but with several modern twists.

Like former distilleries, Uile-bheist uses local malting barley grains, from Bairds Malt in the city, but its production methods are amongst the most sustainable in the whisky world, today.

A pioneering Sustainability Centre uses water from shallow water wells in the River Ness for production, assisted by solar PV installations which save 250 tonnes of carbon per year.

Scientifically advanced stills technology from renowned German coppersmiths, Kaspar Schulz, makes for high precision distilling, and brewer's yeast is used in the fermentation to develop crisp, estery flavours; a unique innovation reflecting Uile-bheist's dual nature as a distillery and brewery.

A minimum fermentation time of 96 hours produces a creamy, banana-forward flavour profile to the Uile-bheist Highland Single Malt, now in year two of production.

"We are proud to bring these limited quarter casks to the market, the first chapter in the Inverness whisky revival," said Head Distiller, Drew Shearer.

"So much detail and precision goes into our new-make spirit and we select the casks very carefully to produce the high quality we want; quality that the city was always known for."

He added: "Our charred quarter casks will give rich vanilla notes to the whisky. When charring, lignin in the wood is broken down to produce vanillin. That will provide a fresh, vibrant flavour with layers of sweetness and depth.

"The un-peated quarter casks will provide a more mellow, delicate flavour and a little flora in the maturation which will deliver a subtle, refined flavour.

"With the peated quarter casks, you will pick up some of the distinctive smoky, seaweed character from the Islay malt whisky previously matured in those casks."

The quarter casks, all priced at £3750, are available on Uile-bheist’s website.

Whisky consultant Mitch Bechard, said: "It's exciting to see Inverness reclaim its place on the whisky map."

Click for information on the historic casks