Arbikie launches first rye whisky for a century

Arbikie Highland Estate has announced its arrival in the Scottish Whisky industry by launching the first rye whisky distilled in Scotland for more than 100 years.

Highland Rye Single Grain Scotch Whisky was laid down in 2015 and uses a combination of Arantes Rye, Odyssey Malted Barley and Viscount Wheat.

The whisky, which is owned and produced by the Stirling brothers in Lunan Bay near Arbroath, stays true to the family’s farming heritage with all crops grown on the farm meaning every ingredient used in the making of the Highland Rye can be traced back to the field it was grown in.

The company says demand for a ‘first’ in the Scotch Whisky sector has been overwhelming.  

Iain Stirling, director of Arbikie Highland Estate, said: “The rising demand internationally for our ‘field to bottle’ products has been on-going.

“Our Highland Rye has caught the imagination of our export partners across the globe due to our provenance as we both grow and distil.

“As a young business we’re delighted to be a catalyst for a new whisky category, Scottish Rye Whisky, with much older distillers like Bruichladdich, Diageo and new ones like Inchdairnie and Lone Wolf we believe, preparing to follow.

“Whatever we’ve produced over the years, from potatoes to vodka, our values of sustainability, innovation and quality have been the foundation, and our Highland Rye Whisky embodies everything our family has been doing since we started farming 400 years ago.”

Arbikie Highland Rye will be sold in Asia, Africa, Europe and North America with a limited batch available for each market through luxury retailers, such as Harrods.

In uncertain times surrounding the UK’ s future trading relationship globally, Arbikie is focused on growing its export business through innovation and luxury offerings.

Arbikie Highland Rye has already been well received by the Scotch Whisky Industry with leading whisky expert, Blair Bowman commenting: “It’s incredibly exciting to see a return to Scottish Rye Whisky. I know that the new Arbikie Rye is going to wow Scotch and Rye drinkers around the world.

“Arbikie’s ‘field-to-bottle’ methods are truly innovative and I commend their dedication to provenance and traceability.”