News

A family-run Angus distillery has won a major deal that will see its products distributed across the US.

Arbikie Highland Estate, based near Montrose, has agreed a US national distribution partnership with Winebow Imports.

Winebow, established in 1980, is a national importer and distributor.

It offers a portfolio of fine wines and spirits from around the world as well as a distribution network of 18 markets.

Ian Downey, executive vice-president, said: “We’re honoured to represent Arbikie and tremendously impressed by their ‘field to bottle’ approach.

“They’re one of the few distilleries genuinely making their spirits from scratch.

“We couldn’t be more excited to introduce them to our customers.”

Brothers John, Iain and David Stirling run the distillery.

The Stirling family has been farming since 1660.

For the first 250 years they were on the west coast of Scotland.

Then in the 1920s the brothers’ great uncle Bill bought a tract of land near Lunan Bay.

In 2014, the brothers started a small distillery, with a goal to produce world-class spirits made from their own crops.

All ingredients for their spirits – including strawberries, potatoes, juniper and honey – are planted, grown, sown and harvested within arm’s length of their distillery.

The distillery uses botanicals typical of the area while also bottling and labelling everything at the farm.

Even the water for their spirits is sourced from their own lagoon.

John Stirling said he was “thrilled” to have agreed the deal with Winebow Imports.

He added: “We share a fine wine mentality, in that all our spirits can be traced back to specific plots on our farm.

“It’s fitting that we would turn to a team of wine experts to help tell our story.”

Included in the Arbikie range is a new line of pea-based spirits called Nadar.

It removes more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it emits, making it a climate-positive product, according to Kirsty Black, Arbikie’s master distiller.

The distillery uses solar power as one of its energy sources.

It is in the process of installing a revolutionary green hydrogen energy system.

That will further its goal to become a global leader in the production of sustainable spirits.

Iain Stirling welcomed the signing of the deal, which was completed on 6 April.

He said: “April 6 also commemorates The Declaration of Arbroath which was signed in our home town in 1320, so the timing of this good news really could not be better.”