Meet the Distiller: Shona Macleod, Isle of Harris Distillery
In this month’s meet the distiller Q&A, we chat to Shona Macleod of the Isle of Harris Distillery.
Full name and distillery you work at
Shona Macleod, Isle of Harris Distillery
What made you want to work in whisky?
Personally, it was more a case of wanting to work at our local distillery, rather than in whisky as such. When we opened in 2015, it was a new and exciting industry here on the Isle of Harris - there had never been a commercial distillery on the island up to that point. When I heard about the plans for it, I knew straight away that I would like to work there. My background was in hospitality, not in the spirits industry, so it opened up a whole new career for me.
How did you get into the distiller role you’re in now?
In December 2014, I joined the distillery as guest services manager. My involvement in the sensory and quality aspects of Isle of Harris Gin from the start naturally sparked a deep interest in whisky production and flavour profiles in both new make spirit and maturing whisky.
As we moved closer to launching our first whisky, we needed more in-house expertise in sensory work and blending, so I threw my hat in the ring and began a new chapter within the production team. I’ve since obtained the certificate in distilling from CIBD for a better understanding of spirit production but generally I work with the mature casks and recipe creation rather than production of new make spirit. Having said that, we’re a small team so many of us are involved in lots of aspects of the business. Cross departmental working is the norm for us.
Read more: Scran episode 10: The community spirit behind Scotland's favourite gin - with Iona Cairns
What is something surprising that people might not know about your role?
Maybe how diverse it is. Often, I’m in the warehouses in steel toe capped boots and a hi vis vest, opening casks and drawing samples. Sometimes I’m attending a board meeting, regularly I’m involved in Health and Safety issues or I’m up the hill in wellies taking water samples. I love assisting the sales and marketing team with my many opinions on things! And I can always be found at the coffee machine in the café happily working on my latte art. Every day brings new opportunities, challenges, and the joy of creating something that reflects our island home
What characteristics are you looking for in the whiskies you make and how do they represent the region/distillery?
We are a young distillery, in our 11th year of operations. We were the first commercial distillery in the Outer Hebrides when we opened in 2015 so in some ways we were forging our own path in a new whisky region. This meant that in terms of flavour, there was no whisky style to try to aspire to creating. As such, we were able to create our own spirit type and style that we believed represented our island well, with no pressure to try to be like any other.
Happily, there are now other distilleries that have started up on the neighbouring islands and together we would love The Outer Hebrides to be a new whisky region in its own right. We’ve just reached the milestone of having a 10 year old spirit so it has been a real pleasure to watch these casks grow up and to be able to compare how they are performing over these early years.
In terms of characteristics in our whiskies, I’m looking for a consistent character that is recognisable as Isle of Harris whisky with varying flavour profiles across the range of expressions. I’m always learning how best to put various cask types together to achieve the balance of the core DNA that is found in our drams with enough difference drawn from each cask type to produce something familiar, but different each time. You really do learn something new every day in this industry!
What was the first whisky you ever tried?
My parents had a hotel in the village of Tarbert, so I grew up around whisky drinkers in the hotel bar. Blends were generally the dram of choice in those days here in Harris so I think it would have been Whyte and Mackay which was a firm favourite with the locals at that time.
Tell us about your new make, and what makes it so special?
Our new make is fruity and sweet, with just enough malt influence. The result of a combination of short (70 hours) and long (120 hours) fermentations. The still room is not heavily automated, so the distillers use their eye and nose to take the cut each day which lends a special touch to the spirit as there’s always little variations depending on their own sensory skills. That makes for a really special new make that has their individual stamp on it.
Are you working on any exciting new releases this year?
We have a few exciting new whiskies on the way. The first is a collaboration with Pennsylvania rye whiskey makers Dad’s Hat to launch a limited-edition single malt Scotch whisky, matured for almost ten years exclusively in former American straight rye whiskey casks. Spending its entire maturation in these casks allowed their dry, spicy character to develop alongside the lightly peated Harris spirit. We’re launching this in early December and there will be a limited number of bottles available online, so it’s a very special one ahead of Christmas.
We’ll also soon be releasing a single cask matured in a Fino butt from José y Miguel Martín as a distillery and online exclusive - cone of only two seven year-old fino casks maturing in our warehouse, so this is one of our crown jewels! The dram is very elegant - fruit notes with crisp pears and a touch of lemon peel leading into a sweeter, vanilla custard and salted caramel note.
There will be more to come next year as well, but you’ll have to wait and see!
Who is your whisky hero?
There are so many and I can’t pick just one. Stephanie Macleod (director of blending at Dewars) and Gillian Macdonald (master blender and head of whisky creation at Glenmorangie) both have Harris connections and are amazing and supportive, always. Richard Paterson is a real character and gentleman. I spent a very memorable morning with him in the tasting room at Whyte and Mackay which was a highlight of the last 12 years! The whisky industry in general is very open when it comes to support and sharing knowledge with young distilleries.
What’s your unpopular whisky opinion?
Someone saying “this is how to drink whisky…”. I believe people should enjoy whisky in any way that suits them best, whether in a large tumbler with ice, neat, in a small glass, with a mixer, in a cocktail etc. The most important thing is that they enjoy it!
If {your whisky} was a movie star, who would they be?
Male: Dougray Scott – sophisticated, charismatic and full of character
Female: Sorcha Groundsell – rising star, Hebridean and full of potential
Describe {your whisky} in three words
Characterful, distinctive, coastal
Now describe yourself in three words
Hebridean, sociable, expressive
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