LONG READ: Is Inverness experiencing a whisky renaissance?
To the outsider, it would be normal to assume that a visit to Inverness would entail endless possibilities to dive into a world of whisky discovery.
It would make sense, for the Highland capital, to be a vibrant hub buzzing with events, bars, clubs, producers and everything to cater for lovers of the national drink.
Looking only a few years back, however, there really wasn’t much on offer for the whisky curious in the city - despite its rich whisky heritage.
Fast-forward to today, things have rapidly changed, with more specialist bars, shops, events, and a brand new city centre distillery opening their doors, as well as investment in the existing distilleries — and more is yet to come.
Is Inverness finally jumping on the chariot of the whisky boom?
Let’s dive into the past, present and future of the whisky scene in Inverness.
A rich distilling heritage
Before the opening of Uile-bheist Distillery last year, there had not been whisky production within the city for more than 40 years.
A whisky enthusiast on a visit would have had to go to Tomatin or Glen Ord to visit the closest distilleries. But that’s not always been the case.
The area around Inverness has been a thriving ground for whisky distilling in the past, counting more than 20 “lost” distilleries (those no longer in production or demolished).
Several, like Bught, Ardiseer (1798) and Petty (1825), closed only one year after obtaining their license. Phopochy distillery, located between Inverness and Beauly, lasted a bit longer, between 1821 and 1830.
However, three of them were to last for almost a century, taken down only by the plummeting demand of the 1980s (a period known as the “whisky loch”) - those were Millburn, Glen Mhor and Glen Albyn Distillery.
The only visible vestiges remaining are those of Millburn, whose premises host the Premier Inn on Millburn road. Glen Mhor and Glen Albyn, both located in the Muirtown area, have been since been demolished.
According to Jason Julier, a whisky enthusiast, writer and researcher who in 2019 embarked on a passion project (since covid) gathering and publishing archive information Glen Mhor distillery - and recently started working on websites dedicated to Millburn and Glen Albyn - the communities around these lost distilleries was very vibrant, although they were not tourist attractions as we know today.
“From my previous whisky writing, I knew that there was information about Millburn, Glen Mhor and Glen Alby, but probably they were not very detailed,” he said. “After poking around for a few years, I realised there was a lot more to it than what people thought.
“Everything has a tale to tell, if you look deep enough,” he said.
A vast archive of material, photographs and research can be found on the Glen Mhor whisky website.
Another notable contributor to the industry, which is currently going through an expansion phase, the Inverness branch of Bairds Maltings was first established as Moray Firth Maltings in the late 1960s.
In the surroundings, two long-standing strongholds still stand proud : Glen Ord (founded in 1838) and Tomatin Distillery (1897). The first is a bastion for malting barley and for blended whisky production, whilst the second a phoenix reborn from the ashes after becoming at one point Scotland’s biggest distillery and shortly after, having to be salvaged by a Japanese company as the industry collapsed in the 80s.
The reawakening of the whisky scene
Fast forward to the 2000s. Tomatin and Glen Ord are the main whisky attractions in the area as the interest in whisky slowly reawakens at the turn of the millennium.
However, apart from some collections in local pubs and restaurants, the whisky scene in the 2010s had gone somewhat lukewarm.
Then, driven by the craze for the liquid gold that has taken the world by storm in the past two decades, things started moving again in The Highland Capital.
“We felt the whisky scene was a bit “unloved” - there was great potential but it was a bit neglected,” said Matt Macpherson, who in 2017 opened Inverness’ first specialist whisky bar, The Malt Room.
“The reason why we set up the Malt Room in the first place, was that every single bar in Inverness had a whisky collection but there wasn’t the passion or knowledge to share it with customers or visitors.
“The classic Scottish response to those asking for recommendations was: ‘I don’t really drink it, I don’t know much/anything about it’, whereas if you go somewhere like France and ask them about their wine, they took much more pride in their product.
“It was an opportunity for us to come in and share our passion and knowledge about whisky, whilst creating a community of people who want to build their knowledge and try new drams.”
But that wasn’t the end of it - the thirst for whisky kept the growth rolling. In 2018, the local branch of the Whisky Shop opened - followed by the Highland Whisky Shop in 2021 as well as the Inverness Whisky Shop in 2023, a sister business of the Malt Room.
The past five years saw also a visible increase in the whisky offering across the city bars, with more attention to tastings and the return of whisky festivals in the heart of the Highlands, starting with an edition of an independent event in 2022 at the Ice Centre.
However real waves were made when the Scottish National Whisky Festival added an Inverness date to its calendar, and the summer event in Eden Court has been a big success for the past three years, with organiser Gareth Croll saying that there is potential to expand it further.
In the heart of the city, MacGregors bar has also introduced a Highland Malt Whisky Experience blending together whisky, storytelling and traditional music.
In the meantime, Glen Ord distillery - now known as The Singleton of Glen Ord - has expanded its production (twice) in the past, and has opened a brand new visitor centre in 2022 with a cafe and bar often hosting live music, which is becoming popular among locals and visitors alike.
Getting the spirit flowing back in the city
One of the biggest events in this whisky revival, however, was the opening of Uile-bheist brewery and distillery in 2023.
A project taking almost 15 years in the making for Glen Mhor hotel owners Jon and Victoria Erasmus, this is not only the first distillery in Inverness to make whisky in more than 40 years but also a UK-first in terms of energy efficiency and sustainability.
“We've always wanted to have a whisky distillery or a brewery - in the end, we decided to do both!
“As a teacher, business owner and mother who sees how teenagers fear the impact of climate change on the world, it is important for me to try and create something to take those fears away.”
The process of researching how to build a distillery in the area whilst minimising the impact led them to introduce a new system which creates energy using river source heat pumps, which was the first of its kind in Scotland.
Having a whisky distillery right in the city centre was a no-brainer for the couple, despite a steep learning curve and the various complications of building it in a protected area.
“There was nothing of this kind when we had this idea, so we just said ‘Why don’t we go ahead and do it?,” said Victoria.
“A key element for us was to add something unique and very special but also limit our environmental impact, which is massively important to us as a business.
“The whisky community here is phenomenal. Just immersing ourselves into a world that we haven't been into before or in that sense of having a distillery is a distillery owner. And we've had so much support and encouragement from the whisky community.”
Makes it more accessible for people to visit a whisky distillery and promote the Scottish National drink.
Today, Uile-bheist is also a popular pub hosting live music and tastings.
Where next?
Things are only looking up for Inverness whisky enthusiasts - those who have been passionate about the spirit for years and opening up to new demographics and promoting the water of life.
One of the most awaited works in progress, the Inverness Castle Experience - set to open in summer 2025 - will have a special display celebrating the distilling heritage of the Highlands.
A planning application for a new venue focused on whisky tasting and education on Church Street has been lodged with Highland Council and is currently being assessed.
In the meantime, Tomatin Distillery has submitted plans to expand and create a new visitor centre.
And, at the early stages of production, Inverness-based Bairds Malt has expanded its capacity and is set to expand even further
“I think it’s absolutely fantastic,” Mr Macpherson commented on this continuous growth on the local whisky scene (he has moved on to open a new whisky bar on the Cayman Islands in the meantime).
“The more buzz there is around whisky, the better. If the whisky shops are doing well and the whisky fest is doing well, it brings more people to the area.
“Inverness is becoming the hub of the Highlands, and it’s important for businesses to work together.
“If you look at Speyside or Islay, there has been huge investment on the back of it. If we can be a top whisky destination, then this is only going to be beneficial to all of us.”
