The Spirit of the Hebrides
Now launching:
Our Island
Welcome to Benbecula Distillery, where this summer
the spirit flows from handmade stills on the Uists
for the very first time.
Our new multi-million pound distillery is on
the north of the island, where visitors can
savour the beautiful and uninterrupted views of
pale blue sea where the causeway crosses
into North Uist.
It is a stunning island paradise we are
proud to call home.
Our Island
Welcome to Benbecula Distillery, where this summer the spirit flows from handmade stills on the Uists for the very first time.
Our new multi-million pound distillery is on the north of the island, where visitors can savour the beautiful and uninterrupted views of pale blue sea where the causeway crosses into North Uist.
It is a stunning island paradise we are proud to call home.
Our Story
Benbecula Distillery is the realisation of a
long-held dream for local businessman
and crofter Angus MacMillan.
Angus has spent his life at the heart of this close-knit
Outer Hebridean community, where his family have
lived for generations.
He was one of the founding directors responsible
for South Uist, Eriskay and Benbecula’s historic
community buyout in 2006.
Angus’s entrepreneurial acumen has been
the driving force behind the distillery
you see today.
Our Story
Benbecula Distillery is the realisation of a long-held dream for local businessman and crofter Angus MacMillan.
Angus has spent his life at the heart of this close-knit Outer Hebridean community, where his family have lived for generations.
He was one of the founding directors responsible for South Uist, Eriskay and Benbecula’s historic community buyout in 2006.
Angus’s entrepreneurial acumen has been the driving force behind the distillery you see today.
Our Distillery
There are few places in the world more beautiful
than the island of Benbecula, lying between the
Hebridean islands of North and South Uist.
The island’s new distillery –
previously a salmon processing plant
– makes full use of this spectacular view.
A glass-walled extension in the form of
a lighthouse has been added to the building,
echoing the Stevenson Lighthouse on
the nearby Monach Islands.
It not only houses the distillery’s
handmade copper pot still but also commands
wondrous views of a wild, rolling landscape that
will captivate visitors to this new tourist landmark.
Our Distillery
There are few places in the world more beautiful than the island of Benbecula, lying between the Hebridean islands of North and South Uist.
The island’s new distillery – previously a salmon processing plant – makes full use of this spectacular view.
A glass-walled extension in the form of a lighthouse has been added to the building, echoing the Stevenson Lighthouse on the nearby Monach Islands.
It not only houses the distillery’s handmade copper pot still but also commands wondrous views of a wild, rolling landscape that will captivate visitors to this new tourist landmark.
Our People
Angus MacMillan
Owner and Founder
Born and raised in South Uist, Angus MacMillan has dedicated his career to fostering economic growth and sustainable development in the Outer Hebrides. With a rich history as the former owner of West Minch Salmon Farm, where he led operations for 28 years, Angus has also worked in several international private companies, demonstrating his extensive expertise and leadership in the industry.
As the founder of Benbecula Distillery, he is committed to driving economic development in the Outer Hebrides, creating opportunities that will benefit the region for generations to come. His vision includes showcasing the real potential for young families to live and work in the Outer Hebrides, promoting a vibrant and thriving drinks industry throughout Scotland.
Brendan McCarron
Master Distiller
At the helm of Benbecula Distillery’s whisky creation is Master Distiller Brendan McCarron. One of the most respected names in modern distilling, Brendan’s career spans more than 20 years.
Previous high-profile roles include working as head of maturing whisky stocks at the Glenmorangie Company, and as manager at Oban Distillery and master distiller with Distell, whose brands include Bunnahabhain, Deanston and Tobermory.
Brendan is a true whisky lover. He enjoys nothing more than being in the distillery and seeing the spirit run off the still.
Hector MacLeod
General Manager
Hector MacLeod, a native of Benbecula, brings over 30 years of experience in management positions within the private and third sector, to his new role in the distillery industry. Having previously worked alongside Angus for 15 years in his former business ventures, Hector was delighted to return to the same Gramsdale location on Benbecula, but now with a brand-new distillery on site.
He will have overall responsibility for all operations on site, working closely with the teams in all departments, and liaising with external partners and stakeholders within the industry and beyond.
Hector welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the growth and success of Benbecula Distillery, and the island community as a whole. From his office window, Hector can see his late grandfather‘s croft house in Uachdar, a reminder of his local roots and commitment to supporting and developing opportunities for future generations.
Mary Margaret Connarty
Distillery Manager
Mary Margaret was also born and raised on Benbecula, growing up in the village of Balivanich. She only left the island to take up full stime studies at the University of Glasgow, achieving a BSC Honours in Medicinal Chemistry, followed by a PhD in Organic Chemistry. Mary Margaret also holds the Diploma in Distilling from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling.
She then started employment with the North British Distillery Co in 2006, progressing to being appointed laboratory manager in 2017, building up a wealth of knowledge on the distilling process. As Mary Margaret states “my greatest strengths lie in quality evaluation of new make spirit, raw materials and co-products”. These are the strengths and experience Benbecula Distillery will be able to benefit from in the future.
In addition to the above professional qualities, Mary Margaret also brings back to Benbecula her young family, which can only be huge benefit to the community as a whole.
Calum Campbell
Distillery Operative
Calum joined the distilling team in autumn 2024, as production increased when the distillery commission phase ended. Calum is another native of Benbecula, indeed having been born and raised within a stone’s throw from the distillery. From his own home, Calum has a bird’s eye view of the distillery, which is quite the sight when the still in the lighthouse is illuminated at night.
Calum brings extensive experience in the building trade to the team, which has been invaluable as the team settled into the distillery building, and as he has picked up new skills in the distilling process. Calum still keeps his hand in on the tools though, not least having recently helped his son build a new house.
Kayleigh MacVicar
Distillery Operative
Kayleigh MacVicar, from Locheport in North Uist, has been an integral part of the Benbecula Distillery team from the very beginning. She brings with her extensive experience in transportation and logistics, which will be invaluable to the distillery’s operations.
Grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such a groundbreaking project, Kayleigh finds immense joy and fulfilment in her work as a distiller. Being part of making history and coming to a job she loves every day has been an incredible experience for her.
Phil Dale
Distillery Operative
Phil joined us in 2024 as a relief distiller, to provide cover for staff holidays, and to work the number of hours that matched his own work/life preferences. In his previous career, he worked as a chemical plant engineer in Cheshire, England, and has brought many transferrable skills applicable to the distillery process.
Away from his employment, Phil is a very keen crofter, looking after his flock of Hebridean sheep on North Uist.
Jo Murray
Distillery Operative
Jo joined the team in October 2024, to help us establish and curate the visitor centre at the distillery. Having moved to the islands in 2024, her previous role was with the Turner Contemporary Art Gallery as an art technician and creative manager, but with responsibilities for other facilities management tasks such as finance and health & safety.
Jo will work with Angus to deliver his vision of a creative and informative space that will celebrate the history, culture and people of the Outer Hebrides, and also work with other local artists to offer a quality display space for their pieces. Jo has recently transitioned into a distillery operative role due to interest in the distilling side of the business.
Tanith Hunter
Visitor Experience Operative
Tanith joined our team in April and has quickly become an integral part of the distillery’s story. From the very beginning, she has helped shape the visitor experience — from setting up the visitor centre to refining our tours — and continues to be a welcoming and knowledgeable ambassador for guests from near and far.
Outside of work, Tanith fully embraces island life in Lochmaddy. She enjoys exploring the Hebridean landscape and is also involved in running the beach sauna on North Uist. Tanith brings with her a strong background in visitor services, including previous experience as a Visitor Services Supervisor at a contemporary arts gallery in Bristol — a role that honed her skills in hospitality, engagement, and creating memorable experiences for the public.
Aly Grant
Visitor Experience Operative
Aly Grant brings extensive customer service, presentation, and event-hosting experience to the Visitor Centre team. With a background ranging from scientific sales and diagnostics to retail and animal care, she is skilled at welcoming guests and creating engaging, informative experiences. Now based in Benbecula, she combines her professional expertise with a genuine enthusiasm for whisky, ensuring every tour is both memorable and enjoyable.
Outside of work, Aly is a former competitive swimmer and an active volunteer, supporting animal welfare charities and working with her registered therapy dog in hospitals and care homes. She has a passion for wildlife, conservation, and the outdoors, and enjoys activities such as marine fishkeeping, pottery, and exploring the Hebridean landscape.
Hattie De Fries
Marketing & Brand Development Manager
Hattie joined the team in 2024 after relocating from the United States to pursue a Master’s in Business & Management at the University of Strathclyde. Originally from Colorado, her professional background includes sales, project management, brand safety, and Japanese language, with experience in both the automotive and advertising tech industries.
Driven by a passion for the whisky industry and Scottish culture, Hattie centred her academic research on Scotch whisky marketing and ways the sector can become more inclusive. At Benbecula, she leads brand development, marketing, and storytelling across multiple platforms, as well as overseeing cask ownership and society membership programmes. She brings a global perspective and is dedicated to sharing the spirit of the distillery with the world.
Alanna Lindsay
Café Manager
Alanna leads the café at Benbecula Distillery with warmth, professionalism, and a passion for showcasing the very best in local produce. As Café Manager, she takes pride in ensuring that every visitor enjoys a high-quality dining experience, while also supporting and guiding the café team behind the scenes.
Originally from South Uist, Alanna recently returned to the islands after living and working in Inverness, where she gained valuable experience across the hospitality sector. With formal qualifications in hospitality management, she brings a strong background in guest service, food and drink preparation, and front-of-house leadership.
Emma MacLennan
Café Operative
Emma recently joined the team as a Café Operative, bringing with her a strong foundation in hospitality and a real passion for baking. A native of Benbecula, she began her training at Grogarry Lodge, where she gained hands-on experience in kitchen operations, food preparation, and maintaining high standards in a fast-paced environment.
Currently studying baking in Glasgow, Emma combines professional training with her natural flair for creating delicious sweet treats. Fluent in Gàidhlig and deeply rooted in the local community, she brings a rich understanding of the island’s culture and traditions to her role.
Working alongside Alanna, Emma is excited to introduce a selection of high-quality cakes and bakes to the café menu — all made with care, creativity, and a touch of Hebridean flavour.
Anne Campbell
Domestic Supervisor
Anne Campbell plays a key role in keeping the distillery clean, welcoming, and well-presented for both visitors and staff. With a strong work ethic and a friendly nature, Anne is a highly valued and respected member of the team.
She brings a wealth of experience to the role, having worked in cleaning and facilities for over three decades — including 17 years at the Trianaid care home in Carnish and 16 years at the hospital in Balivanich.
Born and raised in Ardnastruban, Anne takes great pride in her work and enjoys being part of the distillery team.
Outside of work, Anne enjoys walking her dog, spending time with her grandson, catching up with family and friends, and travelling whenever she can. She’s also a big fan of live music and loves attending concerts.
Grace Morrison
Café Operative
We’re delighted to introduce Grace Morrison, who has recently joined our team at the café! Grace is from Hacklett in Benbecula and brings both energy and experience to her role, where she serves our visitors and helps prepare food behind the scenes.
Having recently completed college, Grace is now preparing for her next big step: heading to Glasgow to study radiotherapy at university.
Before joining us, Grace gained valuable experience working at Macleans Bakery. Outside of work, she’s a passionate Highland dancer — a skill she’s been perfecting since the age of three!
Our History
To create the whisky of the future, Benbecula
will revisit traditional techniques not seen
in distilling in Scotland for hundreds of years.
They are closely related to Angus MacMillan’s
own family heritage, and the barley
planted on their croft for generations.
Called Bere barley, it has been grown on Uist for centuries.
To Angus, the croft plays a central role
in the planning and conception of the
future Benbecula Single Malt,
with Bere as its core building block.
The Bere barley grows on soil enriched with seaweed
collected from nearby beaches.
The harvested grain is then transferred
from the croft to the malting floors.
The first Bere barley harvest has already
been gathered and stored by Angus himself
and will make its way into the mix
as distillation begins.
This agricultural link between family croft
and distillery is extremely rare
in Scotch whisky production.
It guarantees the spirit created has
an utterly unique, and very distinct character.
Our History
To create the whisky of the future, Benbecula will revisit traditional techniques not seen in distilling in Scotland for hundreds of years.
They are closely related to Angus MacMillan’s own family heritage, and the barley planted on their croft for generations.
Called Bere barley, it has been grown on Uist for centuries.
To Angus, the croft plays a central role in the planning and conception of the future Benbecula Single Malt, with Bere as its core building block.
The Bere barley grows on soil enriched with seaweed collected from nearby beaches. The harvested grain is then transferred from the croft to the malting floors.
The first Bere barley harvest has already been gathered and stored by Angus himself and will make its way into the mix as distillation begins.
This agricultural link between family croft and distillery is extremely rare in Scotch whisky production.
It guarantees the spirit created has an utterly unique, and very distinct character.
Our Sustainability
The team at Benbecula will revive the ancient
and historic tradition of adding
foraged island heather to their peat fires
for kilning the bere barley.
This malting process creates a smooth,
gentle smokiness and sweet,
floral character to the spirit.
This ancient technique will be coupled
with a unique design and distilling process,
which will use low carbon technologies in its
whisky production to minimise
its impact on the environment.
Our Sustainability
The team at Benbecula will revive the ancient and historic tradition of adding foraged island heather to their peat fires for kilning the bere barley.
This malting process creates a smooth, gentle smokiness and sweet, floral character to the spirit.
This ancient technique will be coupled with a unique design and distilling process, which will use low carbon technologies in its whisky production to minimise its impact on the environment.
Our Whisky
Around 350,000 litres of whisky will be produced
at Benbecula Distillery annually, with bourbon and
sherry casks being used in the maturation.
The spirit produced at Benbecula Distillery
will be classically marine in style, smoky on
the nose with salty and sweetly peated notes.
This will be achieved using light to medium peated
malted barley, so that the smoke does not dominate,
and allows fruity and floral notes to shine through.
Each year a special batch of heather peated
bere barley will be produced – a process that
is both innovative and inspired by
traditions of the island.
Benbecula’s unique malting process
was first noted by famous 19th century whisky
historian Alfred Barnard during his tour
of Scottish distilleries in 1885.
Our Whisky
Around 350,000 litres of whisky will be produced at Benbecula Distillery annually, with bourbon and sherry casks being used in the maturation.
The spirit produced at Benbecula Distillery will be classically marine in style, smoky on the nose with salty and sweetly peated notes. This will be achieved using light to medium peated malted barley, so that the smoke does not dominate, and allows fruity and floral notes to shine through.
Each year a special batch of heather peated bere barley will be produced – a process that is both innovative and inspired by traditions of the island.
Benbecula’s unique malting process was first noted by famous 19th century whisky historian Alfred Barnard during his tour of Scottish distilleries in 1885.
Our Members Club
The Benbecula 2024 Society
We want everyone to enjoy a taste of The Spirit of the Hebrides
and this is your chance to do so. We have formed
The Benbecula 2024 Society, allowing whisky lovers
across the globe to be involved in our distillery’s journey.
The Benbecula 2024 Society is open to all. For a one-off membership fee
of £289, you will receive the following benefits:
- Two bottles of the inaugural release (one to keep and one to drink)
- A sample of our new-make spirit, allowing you to taste
the wonderful base from which our whisky will mature - Unique membership challenge coin
- A personalised membership card
- 5% off all products available at the distillery
and online (excluding casks) - A free distillery tour for the member
and a guest - The opportunity to acquire exclusive membership-only bottlings
- Quarterly newsletter
TO JOIN OR GIFT A MEMBERSHIP TO
THE BENBECULA 2024 SOCIETY
Our Members Club
The Benbecula 2024 Society
We want everyone to enjoy a taste of The Spirit of the Hebrides and this is your chance to do so. We have formed The Benbecula 2024 Society allowing whisky lovers across the globe to be involved in our distillery’s journey.
The Benbecula 2024 Society is open to all. For a one-off membership fee of £289, you will receive the following benefits:
- Two bottles of the inaugural release (one to keep and one to drink)
- A sample of our new-make spirit, allowing you to taste the wonderful base from which our whisky will mature
- Unique membership challenge coin
- A personalised membership card
- 5% off all products available at the distillery and online (excluding casks)
- A free distillery tour for the member and a guest
- The opportunity to acquire exclusive membership-only bottlings
- Quarterly newsletter
JOIN OR GIFT A MEMBERSHIP TO
THE BENBECULA 2024 SOCIETY
Our Cask Buyers Club
The Benbecula Comunn
For the first three years since opening, Benbecula Distillery will release cask offerings for purchase so you can be a part of the Benbecula journey. This 2025 offering is the second of the three releases, leaving limited time to be a part of The Spirit of the Hebrides. To secure your cask, we require a £300 deposit.
Cask Options
Each cask will be filled at 63.5% ABV. Only 40 of each are available.
Palo Cortado Sherry Hogshead (250L) – £8,000
Our Master Distiller’s favourite, this rare and unusual sherry cask gives deep, rich complexity
Red Wine Barrique (225L) – £7,500
Fresh red fruits and accentuated black currant, with dark chocolate for a balanced sweetness
Bourbon Hogshead (200L) – £5,800
High-quality, heavily charred American White Oak that enhances the smokiness, gives a sweetness and clove spice
Cask Ownership Benefits
Cask owners will be automatically enrolled into The Benbecula Comunn, an exclusive members club for those choosing to invest in Benbecula Distillery 2025 single malt.
Additional benefits of ownership include:
- Seven years storage in our bonded warehouse
- Insurance cover for a seven-year period
- A specially bottled 25ml sample of our new make spirit, allowing you to taste the base from which our whisky will mature
- Cask certificate and unique membership challenge coin for the Benbecula Comunn
- Free distillery tours for life, including a guest of the cask owner
- 10% discount on all products purchased either online from the distillery or at distillery shop (excluding casks)
- Lunch at the distillery for the cask owner and a guest on their first distillery visit
- Access to limited and special release Benbecula Comunn members-only bottlings
- Quarterly newsletter
Click below for more details on our cask offering.
Our Cask Buyers Club
The Benbecula Comunn
For the first three years since opening, Benbecula Distillery will release cask offerings for purchase so you can be a part of the Benbecula journey. This 2025 offering is the second of the three releases, leaving limited time to be a part of The Spirit of the Hebrides. To secure your cask, we require a £300 deposit.
Cask Options
Each cask will be filled at 63.5% ABV. Only 40 of each type are available.
Palo Cortado Sherry Hogshead (250L) – £8,000
Our Master Distiller’s favourite, this rare and unusual sherry cask gives deep, rich complexity
Red Wine Barrique (225L) – £7,500
Fresh red fruits and accentuated blackcurrant, with dark chocolate for a balanced sweetness
Bourbon Hogshead (200L) – £5,800
High-quality, heavily charred American White Oak that enhances the smokiness, gives a sweetness and clove spice
Cask Ownership Benefits
Cask owners will be automatically enrolled into The Benbecula Comunn, an exclusive members club for those choosing to invest in Benbecula Distillery 2025 single malt.
Additional benefits of ownership include:
- Seven years storage in our bonded warehouse
- Insurance cover for a seven-year period
- A specially bottled 25ml sample of our new make spirit, allowing you to taste the base from which our whisky will mature
- Cask certificate and unique membership challenge coin for the Benbecula Comunn
- Free distillery tours for life, including a guest of the cask owner
- 10% discount on all products purchased either online from the distillery or at distillery shop (excluding casks)
- Lunch at the distillery for the cask owner and a guest on their first distillery visit
- Access to limited and special release Benbecula Comunn members-only bottlings
- Quarterly newsletter
Click below for more information and to reserve your cask.
Our News
For any queries
Contact us at info@benbeculadistillery.com
For bookings and tour queries, please contact tours@benbeculadistillery.com