Lochranza is Distillery of the Year!
We're thrilled to share that we have been named Distillery of the Year at the 2025 Scottish Whisky Awards. As the proud home of Arran Single Malt, this accolade recognises our outstanding quality, innovation, and our unwavering commitment to excellence throughout the year.
This award marks the culmination of an exciting year for us as part of Isle of Arran Distillers. In 2025, we celebrated three decades of distilling and maturing Arran Single Malt—now a globally respected, award-winning whisky, known for its vibrant character, uncompromising quality, varied range and independent spirit. Our Arran Single Malt 10-Year-Old was also highly celebrated, taking home the gold medal in the 'Single Malt Scotch – 12 Years and Under' category.
This award comes just two years after our sister distillery, Lagg Distillery, won Distillery of the Year in 2023.
“Seeing Lochranza named Distillery of the Year is a tremendous honour for all of us at Isle of Arran Distillers and a fantastic way to finish our anniversary year. Coming so soon after Lagg received the same award in 2023, it feels incredibly special to have both of our distilleries recognised at the highest level. It’s a testament to the passion and dedication of our entire team.” — Euan Mitchell, Managing Director of Isle of Arran Distillers
Our story began in 1995 when spirit flowed through our stills for the very first time, bringing legal whisky distillation back to Arran after a 150-year absence. In 1997, Her Majesty The Queen officially opened our Visitor Centre—a defining moment in the island’s modern whisky history. The following year, actor Ewan McGregor toasted the first cask of legal Scotch whisky produced on Arran in over a century. In 2024, we proudly bottled and auctioned that very cask, raising over £150,000 for Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS), closing a remarkable chapter that began almost three decades earlier.
Our Arran Single Malt range underwent a striking and successful rebrand in 2019, firmly establishing our whisky as a modern yet classic spirit with renewed global appeal.
On 29th June 2025, we were delighted to welcome fans to Lochranza to celebrate the exact moment spirit first ran through our stills 30 years earlier. To mark the anniversary of the first cask filled on 15th August 1995, we released thirty rare Palo Cortado Sherry Casks filled on that milestone date. Our Visitor Centre shelves also recently welcomed the long-awaited Arran 30-Year-Old Single Malt First Release, drawn from a 1995 ex-Sherry Hogshead chosen by our Distillery Manager, Stewart Bowman.
Over the years, we have grown alongside the creation and development of our sister distillery, Lagg, ensuring the continuing legacy of Arran whiskies for generations to come. Today our White Stags community—our passionate global fanbase—has grown to more than 29,000 members.
Our distillery and Visitor Centre are now a thriving destination open seven days a week, welcoming whisky lovers and travellers from around the world. We offer immersive experiences including guided tours, expert tastings and our “Journey Through The Ages” experience, which explores Lochranza’s history through iconic archive whiskies, a distillery tour and a dram drawn straight from the cask in Warehouse 1. Visitors can also enjoy our café, which showcases local ingredients, and browse our well-stocked shop featuring exclusive bottlings and unique gifts.
“We are incredibly proud to be a key tourist attraction on the Isle of Arran, alongside so many other fantastic experiences the island has to offer, and to be recognised with this award. We look forward to welcoming even more visitors in 2026, and to seeing both new and familiar faces coming through our doors.” — Lindsay Patrick, Lochranza Visitor Centre Manager
To book your experience at Lochranza Distillery, visit Tours & Tastings.
Related content
The Story Behind Our First Arran Barley Single Malt
We’re proud to share a project that’s especially close to our hearts here at Lochranza: Arran Barley Single Malt Batch 001.
