Arran Distillery: History, Owner, Range and Visitor Guide
Updated: 1 day ago
Arran is a young distillery with an old island behind it. It started distilling in 1995 at Lochranza in the north of the Isle of Arran and now runs a second site at Lagg.
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Arran at a glance
Distillery fact | Verified detail |
|---|---|
Location | Lochranza, Isle of Arran |
Region | Islands, Scotland |
Founded / established | 1995 |
Owner | Isle of Arran Distillers |
Bottles documented | 4 named expressions in Whisky Clan's bottle database |
Visiting | See visitor information in the original research below. Check official opening and booking details before travelling. |
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Arran history, people and production
Where is Arran distillery?
The distillery is at Lochranza on the Isle of Arran in the Firth of Clyde, postcode KA27 8HJ. Whiskypedia lists the region as Islands. The island once had more than 50 whisky distilleries, according to Whiskypedia, and Arran was down to a single one until the Lagg distillery opened in 2019.
Arran history
Arran has a long smuggling tradition. When small stills were effectively banned in the late 18th century, farmers in the south of the island went underground, helped by good links to Glasgow. A legal distillery ran at Lagg from 1825 but closed in 1837.
The modern distillery was the idea of a consortium headed by Harold Currie, a former managing director of Chivas Brothers. They chose Lochranza for its water supply and its tourism potential. Work began in 1994 and distilling started in 1995. The visitor centre was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997. Whiskypedia says more than 60,000 people visit each year.
Early cash flow came partly from selling casks to private buyers, but the scheme was halted when the distillery found it did not own enough of its own stock to build a brand. The first bottling, a limited edition three-year-old, came in 1998. The first peated single malt, Machrie Moor, arrived in 2010 and the first limited 18-year-old in 2015.
In 2017 two more stills were installed, which more than doubled capacity to 1.2 million litres a year. A second tasting room and a building called Rowan House were added for visitors. In 2019 the sister distillery Lagg opened in the south and the Arran range was revamped, adding Barrel Reserve and The Bodega, a sherry cask whisky.
Who owns Arran?
Isle of Arran Distillers, an independent company, has owned the distillery since 1995, according to Whiskypedia. It also runs Lagg.
How Arran is made
Stills: 4, two pairs of small stills
Malt: mostly unpeated, with about four weeks a year at 20ppm and two weeks at 50ppm, supplied by Boortmalt and Glenesk Maltings
Mash tun: semi-lauter
Washbacks: 5 wooden
Fermentation: 65 hours
Yeast: Kerry M strain
Water: Gleann Easan Biorach (Whiskypedia), while the opening profile mentions Loch na Davie
Capacity: 1.2 million litres of pure alcohol a year
The Arran range
Official range pages did not load, so this list comes from Whiskypedia and may be out of date:
Barrel Reserve
The Bodega, matured in sherry casks
Machrie Moor, the peated expression
Limited edition 18 Year Old releases
Visiting Arran
Whiskypedia lists opening from 10am to 5.30pm daily, with a later 11am start from November to February on weekdays and Saturday. Confirm before travel. The phone number is +44 1770 830334.
Official website
Arran whisky bottle range and cask comparison
Here are named expressions documented from producer or specialist sources, including the available age and ABV. A missing strength is deliberately left as 'Check bottle' rather than estimated.
Bottle / expression | Age | ABV | Cask maturation / notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Arran 10 Year Old | 10 years | 46% | Ex-bourbon and sherry oak maturation |
Arran Barrel Reserve | NAS | 43% | 100% ex-bourbon barrels |
Arran Quarter Cask The Bothy | NAS | Check bottle | Quarter cask secondary maturation; cask strength varies |
Arran Sherry Cask The Bodega | NAS | 55.8% | Full sherry oak maturation, cask strength |
Featured bottle: Arran 10 Year Old
The bottle records link to the existing Lochranza distillery CMS entry; Lagg is a separate distillery.
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Frequently asked questions about Arran
Where is Arran made?
At Lochranza, on the north of the Isle of Arran.
When was Arran founded?
Distilling began in 1995. The earlier Lagg distillery ran from 1825 to 1837.
Who owns Arran?
Isle of Arran Distillers, an independent company.
Is there a second Arran distillery?
Yes. Lagg opened in 2019 in the south of the island.
Is Arran peated?
Mostly unpeated, with some peated runs each year and a peated expression called Machrie Moor.
Sources and photographic credits
ScotchWhisky.com Whiskypedia: Arran distillery entry (loaded 20 October 2026).
Official website: arranwhisky.com/pages/our-story returned a 404 on 20 October 2026, so no official range or ABV data was confirmed.
Wikipedia was used in the earlier draft. Whisky Advocate, Whiskybase and Whisky Magazine were not loaded for this post.
Cover image: Wikimedia Commons.
Featured photograph: original credited image from the Whisky Clan distillery media library. If you own this image and would like the attribution updated, please contact Whisky Clan.
About the author
 | Filip Janczak Storyteller, drinker and explorer of all things whisky. Read more about the person behind Whisky Clan and explore additional reviews and distillery guides. |
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