Uile-bheist

Type: Distillery

On 13 July 2023, the first cask filling at Uile-bheist was reported beside the River Ness in Inverness. The city’s older distilleries had closed in the 1980s; now a new venture was putting spirit into wood. Opened in February 2023, Uile-bheist brings a distillery, brewery and visitor experience together on Ness Bank, alongside The Glen Mhor Hotel. [1][3][4]

At a glance

Uile-bheist means “monster” in Scottish Gaelic, according to the producer. Its name for the combined operation is “Brewstillery”: brewing and distilling share equipment through part of the initial process, making the term more than a piece of branding. [2][3][4][5]

What Uile-bheist is known for

Brewing and distilling share equipment during the early stages of production here. This combined operation stands beside The Glen Mhor Hotel within a historic conservation area, placing it in the heart of Inverness rather than on a separate rural distillery site. [2][3][4][5][6]

Brewing runs through the story from the outset. The operation has its own brewing team and a named core beer range, while the distillery uses what the producer describes as its own brewer’s ale yeast. Beer is a production partner, not simply something poured in the taproom after a tour. [1][4][5]

The River Ness plays two distinct parts. Its water goes into production, while water-source heat pumps draw on the river as part of the site’s energy system, alongside rooftop solar. One role concerns the making of the spirit; the other concerns the energy that powers the development. [1][3][4][6]

From Inverness plans to first casks

Uile-bheist’s opening and its first cask filling were separate milestones. The doors opened in February 2023, and the first filling was reported that July. An exact date for the first distillation is not established in the available record. [3][4]

Story box: A new distillery in an older whisky city

How the spirit is made

Kaspar Schulz of Germany engineered the copper pot stills. The producer describes them as proportionally tall, with a “boil bulb” designed to increase reflux and make a lighter spirit. That is the producer’s explanation of the design, rather than an independently measured comparison with other distilleries. [1][3]

Uile-bheist uses double distillation. Before the wash reaches the stills, fermentation takes place under temperature control for a minimum of four days, often much longer, using the distillery’s own brewer’s ale yeast. [1][4]

The barley is entirely locally sourced, according to the producer. Separate reporting names Bairds as the malt supplier and identifies the Longman Road maltings in Inverness as its source, reported as about 3.1 kilometres (1.9 miles) from the site. [1][5]

Shearer leads the distilling side. The producer says he holds a Masters degree in Brewing and Distilling from Heriot-Watt University. On the brewing side, Bruce Smith was named as master brewer at opening, while Andrew Hodgson was identified as head brewer for the first core beer range. These names and roles belong to those published accounts, rather than a confirmed current staff list. [1][3][4][5]

Early production plans called for 200 to 300 casks a year, rising to 500 to 600 in a third phase. Reported in 2023, these were planned cask numbers, not measured output or installed capacity. Without verified filling volumes and strengths, they cannot be translated into litres of alcohol. [3]

First spirit, casks and intended whisky

The first filling put spirit into a 200 litre ex-bourbon cask and a 250 litre ex-sherry hogshead. The wider maturation plans extend to ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and other casks from around the world, though the record does not detail every subsequent filling. [1][4]

The first batch of new make spirit comprised 500 bottles at 63.5% ABV. In the July 2023 report, Shearer called it “very fruit forward and a bit nutty in the background”. His description offers a glimpse of the early spirit, rather than a tasting note for mature whisky or an assessment by this website. [4]

The announced ambition was a three-year-old Uile-bheist Single Malt, described as a bespoke Highland malt bottling. Its release status and date are not established in the available record, so the announcement remains a release plan. [4]

Opening, first distillation, first cask filling, a new make bottling and a first mature whisky release remain distinct milestones.

Brewing alongside distilling

Dark Horse Stout, Highland Storm Session IPA, Forest Dweller West Coast IPA, White Witch New England IPA and Uile-bheist Lager formed the first core beer range. Reporting described them as the first beers brewed in Inverness for 34 years. [5]

The initial brewing plan envisaged around 350,000 litres annually, a production target rather than verified output. At opening, Bruce Smith set out the team’s appetite for experimentation: “We are not going to bind ourselves to traditions of the 1800s”. It was a statement of approach, rather than a description of how any particular beer would taste. [3]

Energy and the riverside setting

The riverside location also serves the energy system. Published accounts describe a gas-free energy system using water-source heat pumps drawing on the River Ness, supplemented by rooftop solar. The energy centre is reported to cut more than 250 tonnes of carbon emissions annually, a project claim for which no independent assessment is supplied in the available record. [3][6][7]

Victoria Erasmus is identified as a co-owner and sustainability director, and also as sustainability director of Turas Hotels Group. [5][7]

Three common misconceptions

“Inverness had made no whisky for 130 years.” The producer’s 130-year claim concerns a newly built distillery, not a gap in the city’s whisky production. Millburn continued until 1985. [1][4]

“Uile-bheist is in Speyside.” The producer describes its intended single malt as Highland. Inverness is not among the wards defining the protected Speyside region in regulation 10 of the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009. [1][8]

“It is only a hotel bar brand.” The Glen Mhor Hotel connection is part of the setting. Kaspar Schulz stills, double distillation and the documented first cask filling establish a distillery alongside the hospitality offering. [1][3][4]

Visiting Uile-bheist

The producer advertises tours ranging from entry level to master maker, alongside a taproom and the Uile-bheist Restaurant. Check the official website before travelling for current booking arrangements, accessibility information and tour age requirements. Advertised experiences do not confirm access on a particular day. [2]

Where to go next

• Glenmorangie: explore another Highland distillery profile.
• Tomatin: continue through the Highland distillery guide.
• Ardnamurchan: read a further distillery account within the same regional collection.

Sources

1. Uile-bheist. Inverness Distillery. Producer's account, undated web edition supplied in the verified fact sheet, checked November 2026. https://www.uilebheist.com/inverness-distillery/
2. Uile-bheist. Uile-bheist Distillery & Brewery, Inverness, Scotland. Producer's account, undated web edition supplied in the verified fact sheet, checked November 2026. https://www.uilebheist.com/
3. The Spirits Business. First Inverness distillery in 130 years opens. March 2023. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2023/03/first-inverness-distillery-in-130-years-opens/
4. Inverness Courier. First casks and bottles filled for new Inverness distillery. July 2023, as identified in the verified fact sheet. https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/first-casks-and-bottles-filled-for-new-inverness-distillery-320066/
5. The Herald. First beers brewed in Scottish city for 34 years now complete. Web edition supplied in the verified fact sheet, checked November 2026. https://www.heraldscotland.com/business_hq/23622011.inverness-scottish-highlands-uile-bheist-finishes-craft-beers/
6. Inverness Courier. Groundbreaking tradition: Inverness hotel steers into new season after winter investment. July 2026, as identified in the verified fact sheet; native-content URL. https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/native/groundbreaking-tradition-inverness-hotel-steers-into-new-s-439634/
7. Inverness Courier. Family-owned Inverness hotel with on-site production of craft beers and whisky named global exemplar for green practices. June 2026, as identified in the verified fact sheet. https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/family-owned-inverness-hotel-with-on-site-production-of-craf-437709/
8. UK Government, legislation.gov.uk. The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, SI 2009/2890, regulation 10. Official text identified in the verified fact sheet, checked November 2026. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/2890/regulation/10

This article was prepared through desk research using verified fact sheet TOP-A682, keeping producer accounts, reported plans and documented events distinct.

Last checked: November 2026