How the production of Harris's first ever soon-to-be released whisky has been supporting an island community

Behind making one of Scotland’s island’s first ever Single Malt whiskies, it’s all about being local and ‘fit for the job’ over having ‘the right qualifications’.

The Isle of Harris Distillery, in Tarbert, was built to provide jobs for its surrounding community.

Set up in 2015 by founder Anderson Bakewell, a target was set for the business to employ 25 islanders to help the social and economic regeneration of the Outer Hebridean island.

According to census figures, there were some 4,000 residents on the island 50 years ago, but this has now shrunk to just under 2,000. Young people often leave the island for work, while older generations tend to settle for retirement creating a negative demographic.

Rebekah Morrison, one of the distillers at the Isle of Harris Distillery (pic: Laurence Winram studio)

What started off as about ten island employees at the distillery – known as the Tarbert Ten – has burgeoned into a now 45-strong team, and which reaches up to 50 in the high season.

And all those employed on site are born and bread Hearachs – the term used for someone who is from Harris.

"We exist for the island,” said Simon Erlanger, the distillery’s managing director and former director of Glenmorangie.

"Anderson Bakewell had this idea that if you could capture the essence of Harris in a bottle and send it out to the world, you could create employment and have it act as a catalyst to raise awareness of the island and entice people to come and visit it which helps bring more tourism, more sustainable employment and more diversity.”

The Isle of Harris Distillery is based in Tarbert (pic: Laurence Winram studio)

He said there are five employees working for the business, which is currently known for its Harris Gin, from the mainland who are in charge of more commercial matters.

The rest, however, from production to running the site, are all from and living on the island.

"From the very beginning of production to when it is bottled, production is all done by the community here,” he said.

"We don’t have an automated process – the production team make it all by hand, the whole way through.

Simon Erlanger, the managing director at the Isle of Harris Distillery (pic: Laurence Winram studio)

"And we even feed the local cows with the spent grain. It’s truly community focused.”

So how does business go about hiring the team from the 1,900 residents on the island?

Mr Erlanger said it’s all about being “the right fit” for the job over industry experience and expertise.

"I have run a few teams before in my lifetime and I have never known one like this before – it’s so well connected,” he said.

Rebekah Morrison started working in the canteen washing dishes on site before becoming one of the distillers (pic: Laurence Winram studio)

"It’s all about finding the right sort of fit when it comes to working together. The right attitude, work ethic and personality. That comes before qualifications and expertise.

“After that you can then do all the training you need.”

Mr Erlanger said the hiring process always favours internal applicants first before jobs are then advertised on local press or social media sites.

At its embryonic stage, the distillery brought in guidance from three industry experts, known to employees as “the three wise men”, to train the first few staff members to get going.

But now, some eight years on, the business has its own fully-fledged distillers and blenders.

One of those is Rebekah Morrison, who first started working at the distillery aged 16 washing dishes in the onsite canteen.

The Isle of Harris Distillery is currently known for its Harris Gin (pic: Laurence Winram studio)

‘It’s not all about qualifications’

The now 21-year-old, from Harris, said she would have left the island in search for a job if it wasn’t for the distillery.

"I dropped out of school early then went to college but didn’t know what I wanted to do,” she said.

"I was just working in the distillery canteen for pocket money on the side when I saw a distillers apprenticeship come up and thought I’ll just go for it.”

After about three years, a staff role for a distiller came up which Ms Morrison was given, and she’s not looked back.

"I honestly didn’t think I would get it,” she said.

"I didn’t think the interview went well because I had no industry experience to talk about.

“I thought everyone working in production must be smart and qualified to do what they do, so it was really amazing when I found out I got it.

"It turns out it’s not all about qualifications. You don’t need algebra to work here. You just get amazing training right from the beginning.”

In terms of employment prospects on the island, Ms Morrison said getting a job isn’t so much the problem – it’s more finding the type of job you want.

“There’s plenty of people asking for help for work in places like shops and hotels. But if you want to do something a bit different, it’s harder,” she said.

“This job has definitely given me some freedom.

"I went from doing the dishes to working in the shop to becoming a distiller. The distillery supporting the island community like it has done means I can stay and work where I grew up."

Despite its hyperlocal focus, the islander-strong team at the distillery wants to see the business’s international reach grow.

"Twenty-five countries sell our gin, and we want to grow internationally with our new whisky,” Mr Erlanger said.

"We are very much about quality, not quantity, and we are obviously limited for space on the island, but we still have some capacity to grow a bit more.

"The main thing is it’s all done in working with the community; for, with and from the Isle of Harris is what we say.”

To celebrate the opening of the distillery in 2015, Mr Erlanger said some 800 people turned up, an event he hailed as “likely the biggest one in our island history.”

He hopes there will be similar furore when the distillery makes a toast to “the first dram” of its long-awaited Single Malt Scotch Whisky, The Hearach later this year.

The celebration will be a private event on site in Tarbert on 22 September at 1pm and will be live-streamed.

A village cèilidh with live music and dancing will then take place in the local community centre in the evening and the whisky will be available at the event and in village bars from 7pm that night.

The Hearach Single Malt will then go on sale from 10am on Saturday 23 September 2023 at the distillery shop and from the online store at before being made available in specialist stores across the UK and globally in October.