Isle of Skye Brewery - Leann an Eilein
The Isle of Skye Brewery was founded in April 1995 by Portree High School
teachers Angus MacRuary and Stephen Tinney and production began in December
1995 in the purpose-built facility at the ferry pier in Uig. Tinney sold his
share of the operation to MacRuary toward the end of 1996 giving Angus sole
proprietorship of the business. Brewing is now overseen by Head Brewer Pam
Jones who learned through experience in the brewhouse. She is assisted by
Norrie Macleod.
Isle of Skye has a new 20-barrel brew plant that was manufactured by Macmillan of Edinburgh, the same firm of coopersmiths that supplied the famous coppers at the Caledonian Brewery in Edinburgh. They produce up to 60 barrels weekly with a fermentation capacity of 80 barrels and a conditioning capacity of 100 barrels. A bottling facility was installed in 1998 at which time Angus gave up his teaching job for good. Demand for Skye's bottled product was too great for this in-house bottling line however and the majority of the bottled range is now brewed and bottled under contract at Belhaven Brewery.
The brewery employs a single-step infusion mash process using primarily Maris Otter pale malt along with additions of crystal and amber malts, roasted barley, torrified wheat and porridge oats, depending upon the recipe. Grain is supplied from Scotland and other areas of the UK. For some beers honey and demerara sugar are added. Hops are mainly Challenger and Fuggle but Hersbrucker and Goldings are also used, all in whole hop form.
Isle of Skye Brewery's products are available in a number of outlets throughout the UK and the bottled and export trade is very strong with exports going to many regions including the US, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and Iceland. Bottled products are also available in a number of supermarket and beer/wine chain stores in the UK. In addition to its regular line of cask and bottled products, a number of seasonal and house specialty beers are also brewed.
Products (descriptions abridged from brewery website):
- Red Cuillin - 4.2% ABV
- A smooth, malty and slightly nutty beer lightly hopped with Fuggles for aroma
- Black Cuillin - 4.5% ABV
- A dark ale brewed with rolled roasted oatmeal and honey
- Young Pretender - 4.0% ABV
- A golden colored, hoppy and refreshing ale
- Blaven - 5.0% ABV
- A strong full-bodied, malty golden ale
- Hebridean Gold - 4.3% ABV
- A deep and creamy unique ale brewed with porridge oats