OUR STORY
is one of loss, hope and regeneration - a rebellious land and a place of secrets with a history of community spirit and resilience
The hunting forests of The Cabrach were once the land of Scottish kings
When Edward I marched through Scotland in 1296, it is said that he stayed at Inverharroch in the Lower Cabrach - the home of our distillery. There are rumours that he stayed at a castle but recent records show that it was more likely to have been a hunting lodge.
As Gordon clan territory, The Cabrach became a stronghold for the Jacobites
It became the site of many battles between rival families which took place over disputed land, livestock and more.
Legend has it that the maid who once lived at the Inverharroch Farm was slain by the Duke of Cumberland’s army after she barred the door to allow a Jacobite leader to escape over the moor.
Once the hub of a thriving smuggling and illicit whisky industry
The community in The Cabrach mixed farming and illict distilling with consummate skill, using the remote landscape in the 1700's-early 1800's to create a well organised underground network designed to evade raids by Customs and Excise.
At the turn of the 20th century, The Cabrach had a population of around 1000 people - today it is under 100
Suffering significant loss and depopulation was due to a number of causes such as the Second Industrial Revolution, the Great War of 1914-1918 and changes in land ownership.
Regenerating a community
The Cabrach Trust was formed in 2013 and is a registered charity (Charity No. SCO43771) with aims to provide social and economic opportunities for future generations of The Cabrach community.
It's first strategically planned initiative was to breathe new life into the area with The Cabrach Distillery.
A first of its kind, The Cabrach Distillery, is a Community Interest Company
A social enterprise with 100% future profits going towards the regeneration of this fragile community. An investment that will drive real, lasting change. Creating a whisky with purpose.
Our distillery will embrace historic methods, rooted in and reflecting the whisky-making heritage past of The Cabrach.
Be part of the revival
More than a membership club - The Cabrach Collective is our founding cohort of pioneers helping to bring a forgotten whisky tradition back to life, while directly supporting the regeneration of The Cabrach.
As one of only 1,849 founding members, you will have an inside track on progress at The Cabrach Distillery as we revive the land of the wild spirit.
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OUR HOME AT INVERHARROCH
The home of our distillery is at the Inverharroch Farm which dates back to the 700's when the land was granted as one of three "davochs" in The Cabrach (a davoch references an ancient Scottish measurement of land).
Once the home to Lieutenant James Roy, a Jacobite Leader, who fled after the Battle of Culloden- it was always considered to be one of the best farms in the Lower Cabrach.
It was farmed by Bert Rattray in the 1970's, Archie and Marjory McGinley in the 1980's and is still worked today by farmer Derek McBain who grows our barley for the production of The Cabrach Single Malt.
The old steadings at Inverharroch have proudly stood since 1849 and were brought back to life as The Cabrach Distillery.
In November 2024, a moment in history was made with the filling of our first cask of spirit - the first legal spirit distilled in The Cabrach in over 170 years.
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