The first legal distillery on Arran for 150 years, was established in Lochranza by Arran Distillers in 1995. The build of the distillery was halted to prevent disturbing a nesting pair of golden eagles – and as if in a thank you, they did a fly past when Lochranza Distillery was officially opened by the Queen in 1997! The tour here takes in a short film in the bothy, then finding out more about the process in the distillery building before returning to the visitor centre for a wee tasting. There are steep steps up to the distillation room, so accessibility here is limited.
Opened in 2019, Lagg Distillery is much more contemporary in design, with the whole process contained in the same building – just a short distance from the last illicit still on Arran all those years ago. The tours begin with a very unusual presentation of Arran’s history relating to whisky, again very modern in approach and reflective of the approach used throughout. Accessibility is excellent with a lift to the tour, and distillation room.