HOLYROOD DISTILLERY | A Whisky Born in My Neighbourhood

I often cycle past it. Holyrood Distillery is part of my neighbourhood, and perhaps precisely because it's so close to home, I've kept putting off a visit.

Today, finally, I got off my bike and went inside.

I was welcomed by Becky, who took me on a tour of the distillery, explaining not only how their spirits are made, but above all the stories that connect them to this corner of the city.

And for me, when a visit begins with a story, it's already off to a good start.

The first story is about the building itself. The distillery occupies a former railway building dating back to 1831, originally built as a locomotive depot and associated with the Innocent Railway. Coal and malt were brought here, fuelling one of Edinburgh's great industries: brewing.

And its location is no coincidence. Holyrood stands in an area historically known as the “Charmed Circle”, the heart of the city's brewing tradition. In the nineteenth century, Edinburgh was home to more than 40 breweries, many of them concentrated in this very neighbourhood.

Today, whisky is made in the same building.

And this is where Holyrood becomes particularly interesting.

Their philosophy is that flavour doesn't begin in the cask, but much earlier in the process.

Barley, kilning, fermentation and yeast all become tools for shaping the character of the spirit. They experiment with different types of malt, levels of kilning that bring out biscuit, caramel, chocolate and deeper flavours, as well as different yeasts, including some used in winemaking, brewing and sake production.

It's an approach to whisky-making that I find fascinating. They're not afraid to experiment.

And this philosophy comes through in their whiskies. Arrival, Embra, Ambir and Pitch each tell a different story, exploring the many ways in which barley, malt, fermentation and maturation can shape the character of a whisky.

Then there's Height of Arrows, the gin that perhaps tells the story of its surroundings better than any other.

Its name comes from Àrd-na-Said, a name associated with Arthur's Seat, the hill rising just behind the distillery. And here too, there's no unnecessary complexity: juniper takes centre stage, accompanied by sea salt from Skye and locally sourced beeswax.

I like it when a product manages to tell the story of the place it comes from.

This young team of whisky enthusiasts knows how to tell little stories that begin with the old railway, climb the windswept slopes of Arthur's Seat and take root in Edinburgh's great brewing tradition.

A big thank you to Becky for the warm welcome, and especially for all the stories I've jotted down in my notebook, which I'll be delighted to share with my guests.