The Hearach Decade Edition celebrates 10 years of Isle of Ha…

Here’s something that’ll get the peat lovers excited – Isle of Harris Distillery is marking its tenth anniversary this September with a genuinely special release that pushes the boundaries of what we know about terroir in Scotch whisky.

The Hearach Decade Edition represents a fascinating first for the distillery: they’ve finally used peat hand-cut from Harris itself to dry the malted barley. Now, before you start thinking this is going to be another peat bomb, hold your horses. This is about subtlety and sense of place rather than overwhelming smoke.

We’re talking about a limited run of just 2,357 bottles, launching on September 12th during the Hebridean Whisky Festival. The spirit was distilled back in November 2018 and has been quietly maturing in three first-fill Oloroso sherry butts alongside two first-fill ex-Heaven Hill bourbon barrels.

What’s particularly intriguing here is how they’ve approached the peat. Rather than letting it dominate, they’ve used it to add what they describe as “quiet depth and warmth” – allowing those characteristic island notes to shine through while introducing newcomers to peated whisky without scaring them off. The tasting notes suggest caramel and spice alongside that distinctive Hebridean smokiness and coastal minerality you’d expect from Harris.

This release feels significant beyond just being an anniversary bottling. It’s the distillery really embracing its local terroir in a way they haven’t before. When you consider that Harris peat banks can be up to 4,000 years old and 20 feet thick, there’s serious geological storytelling happening in this bottle.

The distillery has come a long way since opening in 2015 – they’re now selling in 25 countries and picking up awards left and right. Executive Chairman Ron MacEachran seems genuinely proud of what they’ve achieved as a small player in this incredibly competitive industry.

At £75 and 46% ABV, it’s positioned as a premium but accessible release. If you’re interested, you’ll need to be quick when it drops at 10am on the 12th – available only through the distillery and their website.