Isle of Barra Distillers surpasses £800,000 crowdfunding target for landmark whisky distillery

Isle of Barra Distillers has just smashed through their £800K crowdfunding target, pulling in nearly £900K from 574 investors via Crowdcube. What’s particularly interesting here is that they’re planning a proper whisky distillery on Barra, which is pretty ambitious for such a remote location in the Outer Hebrides.

These folks have been making quite a name for themselves since launching in 2017, primarily with their gin that just nabbed a Master medal at The Design & Packaging Masters 2023 – that’s the top gong, by the way. They’ve already got distribution sorted with Waitrose and have just locked in an export deal to India, so they’re clearly not messing about with their market reach.

The new distillery is going to be a serious investment – we’re talking £12 million for the full build. They’ve got planning permission and the land sorted already, so this crowdfunding cash should really get things moving. Co-founder Michael Morrison is clearly chuffed, talking about the “immense potential” and how this could be a game-changer for employment and tourism on Barra.

What caught my eye is their pursuit of B Corp status – shows they’re thinking beyond just profit margins. The shares went for £3.75 each, and they’re wrapping up the offer soon.

For those of us watching the Scottish whisky scene, this is one to keep an eye on. A new distillery in such a remote, distinctive location could produce something really special – assuming they can nail the logistics of operating way out there in the Hebrides.