‘It’s fantastic to see where we are at, it's very exciting times’ – a journey in flavour for Wester Ross micro-distillery
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Although challenges have come in various forms for small producers and distillers over the past few years, 2024 has been a rather incredible year for a Wester Ross family-run distillery.
Having recently scooped an award for their new rum, Surfing Puffin, as well as opening up their home and distillery to visitors for the first time in spring, for Gordon and Vanessa Quinn, founders of Badachro distillery, it’s a really exciting time.
“When we first started, our two main objectives were to make a living out of it and to grow some full-time, quality employment locally, because that’s always been an issue in the area.
“I think we have been pretty successful in that! There are eight of us working on the distillery now, including myself and Vanessa. It’s been great.”
Riding the wave of the cocktail boom, the Gairloch-based micro-distillery produces five types of gin, four types of whisky, two vodkas and a rum, is closing the year on a high, with some fantastic opportunities to look forward to.
“Over the years obviously we’ve expanded the size of our shed - now it’s a very big shed! We are still a very small, family-run distillery.
“As we’ve grown we’ve had huge support from our local community in terms of their enthusiasm and businesses stocking our products, and the local people consuming them. It’s something really heartening.”
The next step for Badachro will be the addition of a single malt whisky distillery, which they are currently planning and hoping to start production in 2025.
“It’s fantastic to see where we are at, it’s very exciting times,” said Gordon.
“We’re quite unusual. We’ve done everything backwards - instead of starting to make whisky and then building a brand we’ve built a brand and now we’re filling our own casks.
“It’s not even matured whisky, but it’s new make spirit we fill in, and soon we’re going to start making our own.”
This would make them the only single malt whisky distillery in the area, as most of the production is based on the east coast.
“It’s still good for people that travel over there because you want people to go visit there because it’s stunning so and I think the combination of being in the stunning location and being the only one over here on the west coast and being so small and artisanal… it’s a really good story! And hopefully, that will really differentiate us.
“It is good to have that new challenge, that’s what keeps it all exciting and fun and alive.”
Getting to where they are now was not something Badachro’s founders expected.
“When we started we kind of fell into making one gin, and it was really just to sell it to our bed and breakfast guests and local pub.
“That was where our aspirations lay. We had no intention of growing a business that would make all these different drinks and export them all over the world and become part of the fabric of this little corner of the world.
“It’s been a journey of luck and seizing opportunities and bumping into helpful people and support of the community.”
As the festive season approaches, Badachro’s spirits make a fantastic base for cocktails to serve to guests – or just to enjoy some indulging treats during the Christmas rush.
If you are looking for inspiration, Badachro has a page dedicated to tasty cocktail recipes.
