Tobermory distillery

Tobermory distillery stands on Mull, the third-largest of the Hebrides, at the northern end of Tobermory’s colourful waterfront. It is the island’s only whisky distillery, set where the Mishnish river meets the bay beneath a steep hill. The buildings date from the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when the founder John Sinclair built both a pier and the first licensed distillery in 1823. Over two centuries it has passed through many owners, each leaving traces in the warehouses and stills. The distillery is worth the journey for its long history and the single malts it produces. Founded in 1798 as Ledaig, it has survived wars, prohibition and repeated closures. Today it makes Tobermory single malt from unpeated barley and a smaller amount of heavily peated whisky still sold under the old name Ledaig. The malts are used in blends such as Scottish Leader and Black Bottle, linking Mull’s spirit to the wider whisky world. Visitors find a working distillery with copper stills and Oregon pine washbacks beside the bay. The water comes from a private loch above the village, and the whisky is matured in ex-bourbon and sherry casks. Since 2019 the site also produces Hebridean gin using a 1950s still and Mull-grown tea, with botanicals like elderflower and heather. The colourful houses of Tobermory frame the view of the distillery at the foot of the hill.