In Conversation With: Ian Smith and Alain Campbell, Isle of Tiree Distillery There has been something of a whisky renaissance brewing in the Hebrides, and the Isle of Tiree is the latest island to reignite its long but, until now, dormant history of whisky production. I had the chance to sit down with Ian and Alain to hear more about their journey and the uber-small operation they’ve established that takes “hand-crafted” to a whole new level – from hand-mashing in a repurposed sherry butt to personally hand-delivering every single bottle on the island.
When Ian Smith and Alain Campbell founded the Isle of Tiree Distillery in 2012, they weren’t just starting a business, they were reviving a slice of history. The first legal whisky-making venture on the island in over two centuries.
But whisky isn’t their only claim to fame. The duo is also part of Trail West, a lively six-piece Scottish trad band known for keeping the enduring legacy of Celtic music alive and well. Whether they’re on stage or in the distillery, their goal is the same: to honour and preserve the island's rich traditions that shaped them.
“Our gigs have taken us to a lot of Scottish islands with distilleries, namely Islay as we played at the whisky festival there,” Ian explains, “and it sparked the question, why doesn’t Tiree have a whisky distillery?” That question eventually became their mission.
Ian and Alain have always been inspired by the deep connection between Tiree’s cultural heritage and its whisky.
“Tiree’s whisky heritage goes back centuries and we wanted to be true to those old methods.
We feel a responsibility to make sure that what we’re making is the best quality possible, so we work hard to make sure it's going to be good. It’s important to the island and we want to nod to those [the distillers] who came before us”.
Ian Smith
Tiree's Whisky Heritage
The outermost of the inner Hebridean islands, Tiree is accessible by a four-hour ferry from Oban. Known as “Tìr an Èorna” which translates as the “Land of Barley”, Tiree was once the whisky wild west.
“It’s evident that they were making whisky here at one point - so much so that the island has a huge whisky heritage. If you go back to the 1750s, there were over 50 stills on Tiree.
However, that declined by the end of the 18th century because of stricter regulations imposed by the Duke and the Government, making it nearly impossible for the islanders to produce whisky legally.”
Ian Smith
Fascinating accounts by the Tiree and Coll Gaelic Partnership, compiled in 2003 through Tiree’s Historical Centre, reveal that the Duke of Argyll was determined to end the black market whisky production on the island, citing dwindling peat supplies as a concern. He licensed three coal-burning stills and ordered that every tenth crofter caught making whisky would face eviction. Customs officers were stationed on the island, and the locals responded by shipping their barley to Donegal to be distilled instead.
Now, with the Isle of Tiree Distillery up and running, the duo is striking a perfect harmony between music, heritage, and a love for Scotland’s most iconic export.
Keeping it Old-School on Tiree
Interestingly, neither Ian nor Alain come from a traditional whisky background. However, the technical expertise they gained distilling their award-winning Tyree Gin provided a strong foundation. They also leaned heavily on friends and industry contacts to help guide their journey.
“I actually went to school on Islay from 4th to 6th year, which are pretty formative years for building lifelong friendships. I’ve got a couple of close friends that are involved in the industry, and I guess that was our closest direct link to whisky.
When we started with those first distillations of new make, we were constantly talking to them. They were always at the other end of the phone, helping us out, and it made a real difference.”
Alain Campbell
They also benefited from working closely with Caroline Dewar, formerly of Allied Distillers, who acted as a consultant. Caroline provided expertise on whisky tasting notes and supported monitoring of their first release as it matured.
When I asked if any particular distillers inspired the beginnings of their journey, Campbell fondly mentioned Kilchoman’s farm-to-bottle operation on Islay and a memorable trip to Abhainn Dearg on Lewis - the familiar landscape made it seem possible to bring their vision to life.
“The two distilleries that really inspired us in terms of how we could develop without massive investment were Killowen in Ireland and Myken in the Arctic Circle, Norway. Interestingly, neither of us has visited these distilleries, but we’ve read up about them and even had brief contact.
Both share a similar setup to ours, particularly with their direct firing, so they were especially inspiring. Unfortunately, the band hasn’t toured in Ireland or Norway yet, but we hope to see them firsthand someday.”
Ian Smith
Production at the Isle of Tiree Distillery is delightfully tiny, with just 2,000 litres of pure alcohol produced annually. Alongside founders Ian and Alain, the team includes one full-time member, Ryan, who supports production.
Their setup reflects their resourceful, hands-on ethos. Forget gleaming, high-tech equipment, at Isle of Tiree, the barley is hand mashed on-site in a repurposed sherry butt, with the ends removed and a U.S. brew bag to hold the grain. Fermentation is done utilising two oak washbacks (modified ex-sherry butts with outlets in them), alongside two stainless-steel German fermenters sourced from a soft drinks company in Glasgow. While these methods might seem unconventional for the Scotch whisky industry, they’re reminiscent of approaches embraced by many small craft distilleries in America.
“We wanted to build a distillery, but we knew we didn’t have millions to throw at it” explains Campbell. “Keeping it traditional and hands-on just made sense. We’ve both got backgrounds in crofting and fishing, so we know how to be resourceful.”
Smith chimes in with a grin: “It’s completely hands-on, and it’s good craic doing it that way. You’re handcrafting every part of it and it’s genuinely good fun.”
Smith and Campbell’s first decision in shaping their whisky profile was to use unpeated barley, reflecting the island’s lack of peat, and to distil their whisky over direct flame in their small copper pot stills.
“As soon as you put direct fire onto the copper, it generates a flavour that only that method can produce.
We start with our first water at 64 degrees. We could push it a bit higher to squeeze out more sugars, but doing so would also bring out more cereal notes. We want to keep the biscuity, cereal-led flavours low, so we focus on using our fat copper still to get a nice fruity, oily whisky.”
Alain Campbell
All the whisky matures on the rocky shoreline of Tiree. The unit (described to me as a “tin shed”) is subject to significant temperature swings, ranging from -4°C to 44°C. This causes the wood to expand and contract more dramatically than it would in a temperature-controlled bonded warehouse, influencing the maturation process.
Tiree Inaugural Single Malt Release
The Isle of Tiree’s debut release totalled just 800 bottles. In 2023, 400 bottles sold out in a pre-sale, and the remaining stock reportedly disappeared in under 12 minutes. Bottles #1–10 will be offered in our January 2025 auction - apart from a handful of bottles sent overseas from the original pre-sale, this marks the first opportunity for international whisky lovers to get their hands on Isle of Tiree's whisky.
The inaugural whisky has been matured in virgin oak, American oak ex-Heaven Hill bourbon and oloroso sherry casks. According to Caroline Dewar, the Isle of Tiree Single Malt opens with a sweet, fresh nose of vine fruits, honey, and warming spices, evolving into hints of wax, toffee, and a touch of Fisherman’s Friend. The palate is spicy and waxy with a peppery heat, subtle herbal notes, and a hint of struck match. A medium-length finish brings tingly spices, drying wood tannins, and lingering sweetness.
The recent explosion in the number of new Scottish distilleries is felt nowhere so keenly as on its islands where the number in operation has more than doubled since the turn of the century. For the whisky enthusiast these should be some of the most welcome, presenting opportunities to try spirit produced in new and unique places, with their own climate, terroir and often revived whisky tradition and heritage.
They are also made by some of the most interesting individuals in the industry. To open an international business in some of Scotland’s most remote places requires a special type of commitment and a belief in the quality of the product that anyone interested in whisky should be excited to see realised. Isle of Tiree offers all of this in spades and is surely one to watch both now and in the future.
Joe Wilson, Head Curator at Whisky Auctioneer
Given their small-scale, the team doesn't have a significant release plan. They are currently working on a single grain Scotch whisky - predominantly made from rye - with plans to release in summer 2025. Their next single malt is earmarked as a single cask offering in 2026.
From Tiree, For Tiree
One of the most striking takeaways from our conversation was the sense of purpose driving the distillery - putting the island community firmly at the heart of everything they’re building. For Ian and Alain, it wasn’t just about creating full-time jobs for themselves; it was about laying the foundations for something that could provide employment opportunities for islanders when the time comes. Currently, they have one full-time staff member and a few seasonal roles, but their vision clearly extends far beyond that.
This commitment to the community was perhaps best exemplified when I learned that they’d taken time out of their packed touring and distilling schedule to hand deliver all 150 bottles from their first release that were snapped up by local whisky fans on the island. It was a small but deeply meaningful gesture, a genuine testament to their appreciation for the local support that fuels their journey.
