CRAFTED ON OUR LANDS
THE ARBIKIE HIGHLAND ESTATE
400 YEARS OF HISTORY
A FAMILY LEGACY
The Stirling family have been farming for over 400 years, four generations at Lunan Bay. From father to son, they have gained an intuitive understanding of the land; sowing and harvesting the crops that are distilled to create Arbikie’s range of field to bottle whiskies. Farming in the Stirling family goes back even further - since before 1660, initially on Scotland’s west coast.
Their lands passed through seven generations until great uncle Bill moved to Lunan Bay on the east coast of Angus in the 1920’s. He then passed it to our owners’ grandfather, John, who then passed the land over to our owner’s father, Alex Stirling, who along with Mrs Stirling, expanded the acreage and set up the opportunity for the brothers to build the Arbikie Distillery.
ARBIKIE DISTILLERY BEGINS
THE BROTHERS
Brothers David, Iain and John Stirling are the visionaries and driving force behind the Arbikie Distillery. As with all farming families, the brothers grew up working around the farm, and it is this hands-on experience that gave them a deep understanding and respect for the land.
Despite pursuing careers away from farming, they have always stayed attached to the family lands - and now with the Arbikie Highland Estate Distillery and Distillery Experience, they have returned to drive this exciting and continually evolving venture.
Provenance & Traceability
Field to Bottle
Today, our distillery sits a stones throw from our fields with an incredible Distillery Experience overlooking them.
We've always farmed with absolute respect for the land. The addition of a distillery has not changed our commitment to minimising any environmental impact. Provenance and traceability at Arbikie doesn’t stop with just our crops and water. We use solar power, and our distilling from start to finish uses negligible miles for its production. The primary waste product from distilling is recycled wherever possible as feed for our Highland Cattle.
INSPIRING OUR WHISKY
A SENSE OF PLACE
The soil, the fields, the climate, the people, the culture and traditions all have a profound impact on our whisky. Every drop has a taste of its origins. For us, this is not just about Scotland – it’s about the region of Angus, and then more specifically our home – where the east coast sea crashes on to the shore of Lunan Bay, overlooked by our farm and distillery.
At Arbikie, the whisky story starts with preparing the soil for sowing the grain. The following field to bottle processes ensure we understand the effect of every single ingredient vital to the entire whisky production and, in turn, we respect and nurture the environment we depend upon.
Traceability, sustainability and quality without compromise are built into our DNA.