The Isle of Harris Distillery is to launch the second release of The Hearach single malt Scotch whisky across the US this May.
The inaugural US release of the spirit in October 2023 was a complete sell-out, in a year when sales in the country more than doubled.
The second whisky release from the Outer Hebrides distillery will see batches 10 and 11 of The Hearach available to purchase in specialty retailers across 21 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington DC, Washington and Wisconsin.
Bottled at 46% ABV, without any artificial colouring or chill-filtration, The Hearach is matured in first-fill bourbon, as well as oloroso and fino sherry casks, before being further ‘married’ for a minimum of 12 weeks, to bring additional harmony to the whisky’s flavours.
The new batches of The Hearach remain true to the whisky’s characteristic lightly peated, complex, and elegant flavour profile, with subtle variations in each release due to differences in individual casks, marrying times and distillers’ cut-points.
As before, The Hearach is beautifully presented in a stunning glass bottle, with the new white stopper seal bearing the unique batch number. This number can be researched on the distillery’s website to provide details of the particular batch creation, alongside a short story and tasting notes from a local islander, the company said.
Every drop of The Hearach, named after the Scottish Gaelic word for a native of Harris, has been distilled, matured, married, and bottled in Harris.
Simon Erlanger, managing director at Isle of Harris Distillery, commented: “Having just recovered from the whirlwind of our inaugural US release in October, the team have been working hard to prepare the next batches. Selecting the casks to match the flavour profile is a painstaking process carried out by Shona and Harry, our distillery blenders.
“We are continuously surprised to discover how each batch differs subtly from the others- we look forward to reading the tasting notes from whisky lovers across the USA.”
Opened in 2015 to create sustainable employment for their island community, the Isle of Harris Distillery has one of the youngest distilling teams in Scotland, with four local men and women with an average age of just 25 years old, working under the mentorship of Head Distiller Norman Ian Mackay.
In the 6 months since the launch of The Hearach, the whisky has already carried away 2 Golds and a Silver, from the Berlin, London and San Francisco spirits awards respectively.
The Hearach joins the multi-award-winning Isle of Harris Gin in helping the distillery to fulfil its purpose of contributing to the island economy and creating job opportunities – growing from a founding team of 10 in 2015 to over 45 full-time employees in 2024.
