Arbikie

The idea for one of Scotland's most unusual distillery projects was born in a New York bar around 2010: three brothers, John, Iain and David Stirling - an accountant, a drinks industry veteran and a bar co-owner - decided to build a distillery on the 800-hectare Arbikie farm in Angus, which had been in their family for four generations, and it began operating in 2013. The Stirling family has farmed in Scotland since before 1660; their great-uncle Bill moved to the east coast at Lunan Bay in the 1920s. Arbikie is regarded as Scotland's first "field to bottle" distillery, growing, harvesting, distilling and bottling both white and brown spirits entirely on a single site - everything from juniper to potatoes to wheat grows within arm's reach of the still.

What makes Arbikie Scotland's first "field to bottle" distillery?

Unlike most distilleries that buy in their grain, the Stirling brothers grow every ingredient - from grain to potatoes to juniper - directly on their own 800-hectare farm and process it on the same site.

How did the founding happen in a New York bar of all places?

The three brothers happened to meet around 2010 in a bar David co-owned, and recognised the potential of using their centuries-old family land in Angus for spirits production.

Flavour profile

Taste: Earthy and grain-forward with the unadulterated raw-material note typical of farm whiskies.

Recommended enjoyment: Taste neat, to experience the rare concept of a genuinely farm-grown whisky.

Facts and figures

Founded 2013 by brothers John, Iain and David Stirling. Arbikie family farm for four generations, farming tradition since before 1660. 800-hectare farm in Angus, Scotland.