Scotland is well-known for the production of whisky. There were more than 50 whisky distilleries on the Isle of Arran in the early nineteenth century. Most of these were illegal and carefully hidden from government officials. Whisky produced on Arran was acclaimed as the best in Scotland, and many people “took the Arran waters” which had been shipped to the mainland. In 1995, the Isle of Arran Distillery opened at Lochranza, in the north of the island. The work of building the new distillery was halted for several weeks to allow the two golden eagles who lived on the mountain behind the distillery to hatch their chicks.
Lochranza is an ideal location for producing malt whisky because it is said to have the purest water in all of Scotland: the water is cleansed by granite and softened by peat as it meanders from the mountain tops into Loch na Davie.
The distillery uses two types of barley: Optic and Oxbridge. The barley comes to the distillery already malted and is coarsely ground down into grist.
The grist is mixed with a series of three waters at increasing temperatures in a large stainless steel vessel called a Mash Tun (shown above.)
Fermentation takes place in large wooden vessels known as washbacks which are made of Oregon pine. The staves in the barrels are held in place with large steel bands.
In fermentation yeast is added to the wort which reacts to the sugar in the wort. A chemical reaction then takes place which creates ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxide which is given off as a vapor.
Distillation takes place in copper pot stills. The use of copper pot stills is mandated by law.
In order for a whiskey to be legally called Scotch whisky, it must be matured in an oak cask in Scotland for a minimum of three years. At the the Isle of Arran Distillery, ex-sherry and ex-bourdon casks are used to achieve a more balanced flavor profile. The whisky derives its color and flavor from the oak as it matures. The oak casks “breath” and lose about 2% of the contents each year. This loss through evaporation is known as The Angel’s Share.