Lochranza Distillery Tour Review[photos]Arran-Islands-Scotland
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After Campbeltown, we visited the neighboring Isle of Arran.
Even though it’s next door, getting there from Campbeltown means quite a detour, so we went by bus and by a ferry that runs only once a day on the winter timetable.
We took accommodation near Lochranza Distillery, so we could walk there — and we went two days in a row.
The chocolate pairing we happened to be able to do was the most delicious.
Here’s a look at our visit.
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目次
Features of the Distillery
The Isle of Arran is called a miniature of Scotland, both geographically and climatically.
Founded in 1995, it’s the distillery where the founder, Harold Currie — a heavyweight who served as managing director of Chivas Brothers — fulfilled his dream of having his own distillery.
Arran was once a hotbed of illegal distilling, and that whisky was called Arran Water, but after 1836 not a single drop was made on the island for 160 years.
The mashing water is the Easan Biorach burn, whose source is Loch na Davie in the Glen Rosa valley behind it.
It has two pot stills and an annual production capacity of 1.2 million liters.
Location/ Access
Since we were in Campbeltown, we took a bus to the quiet ferry terminal at Tarbert, and from there took the ferry — only one a day on the winter timetable — to Lochranza ferry terminal.
The ferry terminal itself is apparently different in winter and summer, so you need to be careful.
There happened to be a local-looking person there who also said they’d gotten it wrong and couldn’t get home, lol.
There’s a timetable too, but it was too dirty to read, lol — so being able to reliably find the departure time via a Google Maps search was a lifesaver. From here on, I started searching for directions constantly on Google Maps.
Normally you’d probably come from the Glasgow direction, in which case you can take the ferry connecting Brodick (Isle of Arran) and Ardrossan.
Ardrossan can be reached from Glasgow by train.
This ferry port was very large and a reassuring ferry terminal.
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The Distillery’s Exterior
It stood all alone in a place rich in nature.
There’s a bus stop right in front.
The Tour We Joined / Chocolate Pairing
We arrived on Arran in the early afternoon, and since our accommodation was in Lochranza, we dropped off our luggage and walked to the distillery.
It was written that a chocolate pairing experience would be available starting shortly, so we asked if we could join, and since we could, we happily took part. It was £18 per person (about 3,500 yen), and a wonderful experience.
And the tasting room was very cool too!
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The Tour We Joined / The Distillery Tour
The next day we joined The Distillery Tour, which we’d originally booked.
It was £12 per person (about 2,400 yen).
In a cool space, there was an introduction to Arran Distillery along with a lovely video.
The water source is apparently the water deep in these mountains, and it’s precisely because it’s so clean that the distillery is here.
Mash tun
Washbacks
It’s made in essentially one space.
Stills with loooong arms
At the end of the tour, we could do a tasting.
Shop and Cafe
Inside was very lovely.If we’d had time, we would have loved to relax at the cafe, but we ended up leaving in a hurry.
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Summary
I’d thought Arran whisky was made at “Arran Distillery,” so when we saw Lochranza Distillery it didn’t click and we were surprised — but it was a place rich in nature and very beautiful.
We enjoyed it, including how it differs from the other distillery, Lagg.
The chocolate pairing was really wonderful, so I’d love you to experience it!