To get to the Isle of Harris in Scotland, you need two flights and either a ferry or a long car ride. All in, it’s about a two-day journey. The Isle of Harris lies off Scotland’s west coast, forming the southern part of the Hebridean island of Lewis and Harris. It’s famous for its white-sand beaches and wild, dramatic mountains – though, to be fair, sunbathing is not exactly the island’s strong suit when it rains roughly 350 days a year.
What Harris lacks in sunshine, it more than makes up for in warmth. Once you arrive, you’re welcomed with genuine hospitality and, if you’re lucky, affectionately referred to as “a Hearach:” a local. A small but wonderful piece of trivia: parts of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey were filmed here, using the island’s otherworldly landscapes as a stand-in for distant planets.
I know all of this, not because I recently made the journey to Harris, but because, last week, Harris came to New York City. And when I say that, I mean it quite literally. The Isle of Harris Distillery came to the Big Apple.
Representatives from the distillery and a local Harris restaurant (Chef Chris Loye) traveled from the island to NYC to introduce their single malt whisky, The Hearach, named after the island’s people. The evening was a beautifully executed tasting experience that wove together cocktails and neat pours of Harris gin and whisky, paired with a thoughtfully curated dinner menu inspired by the island itself, and including elements such whisky and gin mixed into the different dishes.
From the moment we entered the room to the moment we left, Harris’s spirit of hospitality and community was present in every detail. Scenic island footage played softly in the background. Harris tweed—another source of local pride and award-winning craftsmanship—was layered throughout the space. The distillery’s blender, Shona, and sales director, Iona, welcomed each guest with such warmth that you’d think you were the only person there (despite there being around thirty of us). They shared in great transparency and were quite humble, about each dram and expression.
The chef personally presented each course, explaining the ingredients and inspiration before every dish. The tables were perfectly set, the pacing was thoughtful, and nothing felt rushed or performative. This was immaculate hospitality—intentional, grounded, and deeply human.
The Whiskies
The Hearach : Core Expression
Elegant and sweet with a hint of smoke – the smoke is incredibly gentle – heathery, floral, with subtle mezcal-like notes. The whisky is matured in a combination of ex-bourbon, ex-Oloroso, and Fino sherry casks, then married and left to “honeymoon” for 12 weeks before bottling. Casks include first-fill Heaven Hill, Buffalo Trace, José y Miguel Martín Oloroso butts, and Fino sherry butts. Bottled at 46% ABV, non-chill filtered, with an outturn of around 12,000 bottles.
The Hearach Oloroso
This expression leans fully into Oloroso sherry butts sourced from José y Miguel Martín in Jerez. The marriage period here is extended to 16 weeks, resulting in a richer, deeper profile while maintaining balance and clarity. Approximately 12,000 bottles were produced, bottled at 46% ABV, non-chill filtered.
The Hearach Decade
“Released to mark ten years of distilling in Tarbert, this limited edition pays tribute to the people behind the distillery. Made using peat harvested from Harris’s rugged landscape, this is their first peated whisky. The peat is present but measured – stronger than the core expressions, yet still elegant, allowing floral and coastal notes to shine.” Matured in a combination of ex-Oloroso and ex-Heaven Hill casks, bottled at 46% ABV.
The Hearach Golden Globe
This was my winning dram of the night. Aged for seven years in Buffalo Trace casks, it’s elegant, softly sweet, and quietly confident. It captures exactly what Harris does so well – excellence without ego, glamour without pretense, and a deep sense of community in every sip.
The Distillery
The distillery represents an investment of over £10 million, with production beginning in December 2015. Despite its relatively young age, it has built a thriving and welcoming visitor center that has already hosted hundreds of thousands of visitors. The distillery has received 17 awards across its portfolio and has even earned public praise from King Charles III. The distillery founders, the Bakewell-Stone family, saw the distillery as a means to tighten and strengthen the island’s economy and population long term. We were lucky to dine and hear from Lorenzo Bakewell-Stone, who represented the family, its values, and belief in the whisky and the distillery.
Its gin, also outstanding, uses local botanicals, including sugar kelp seaweed harvested from the surrounding waters, further anchoring every product firmly to place.
This was a night to remember and what I see as poster child of the whisky community – a gathering of good people, enjoying the pairing of a heartfelt meal with good whisky, allowing time to pause and enjoy the good things in life.
