Isle of Harris Distillery has announced three major UK distribution deals, expanding its retail presence to include Waitrose and Sainsbury’s supermarkets alongside an enlarged footprint in airport duty-free. The Tarbert-based distillery confirmed the new listings on Thursday, April 16.
Waitrose has expanded its stocking of Isle of Harris Gin to 66 stores across the UK following strong sales performance in select Scottish locations.
The distillery has also secured a premium listing in 25 Sainsbury’s stores across Scotland.
The moves mark a significant step for the Outer Hebrides producer, which has built its reputation on a small-batch approach and locally foraged botanicals.
Isle of Harris Gin is distilled in a small copper gin still using nine locally sourced botanicals, including sugar kelp seaweed harvested by hand from local sea lochs. The spirit is bottled at 45% ABV.
Beyond supermarket shelves, the distillery is also deepening its presence in the travel retail channel. Isle of Harris Tidal Strength Gin and The Hearach Croft Strength single malt whisky will appear at Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick airports in early summer through Global Duty Free.
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The airport listings follow an agreement with SipWell Brands, recently appointed as the distillery’s exclusive global travel retail distribution partner.
Isle of Harris Tidal Strength Gin is bottled at 49.5% ABV, while The Hearach Croft Strength is a 52% ABV expression of the distillery’s flagship single malt Scotch whisky. According to the official notes from the brand, The Hearach Croft Strength is lightly peated, non-chill filtered and free from artificial coloring, revealing “a layered nose of soft smoke, caramel, poached fruits, and warming spices.”
Ron MacEachran, executive chairman of Isle of Harris Distillery, said: “Our expansion through supermarket listings and expanded distribution in the Global Duty Free channel is a huge step in our distillery mission — to share the spirit of Harris with the world — and has been driven by the support and enthusiasm for Isle of Harris Distillery to date.”
“It’s a moment of celebration for the brands as we mark further positive growth and forward momentum,” MacEachran added. “We are excited to see our beautiful bottles on more shelves across the UK and more customers enjoying our spirits in the coming months.”
The distillery, established in 2015, is one of the economic anchors of the Isle of Harris community, providing employment and supporting local supply chains in one of Scotland’s most remote regions.
Isle of Harris Gin is now available in select Waitrose stores across the UK and select Sainsbury’s stores across Scotland. The travel retail exclusive expressions are currently available at Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Heathrow airports, with Gatwick and Stansted to follow this summer.
