Beinn an Tuirc Distillers

About the distillery

Beinn an Tuirc Distillers is located at Torrisdale Castle Estate on the eastern coast of the Kintyre Peninsula in Argyll & Bute. Here, Niall and Emma Macalister Hall have created a distillery where a former, unused pigsty has been transformed into a modern facility with its own gin school, café-restaurant, and shop. The distillery is powered by the estate’s hydrosystem, and the site’s history and landscape are built directly into the spirits.

History

The story begins long before the distillery. Torrisdale Castle was built in 1815 by General Keith Macalister and designed by James Gillespie Graham, and the Macalister Hall family has had a home on the site since 1890. When Niall and Emma Macalister Hall took over the operation of Torrisdale Castle Estate in 2013, they set in motion a broad renewal of the estate, including the renovation of dilapidated buildings, new lodges, a revived kitchen garden, and investments in their own energy—both a hydrosystem and a biomass boiler.

The distillery itself was established in 2015, and construction was completed in early 2016. It was fitted out in the former piggery and given Big Don, a 230-litre Muller still, named after Niall’s father. Sue Black joined as head distiller and helped with the final recipe for Kintyre Botanical Gin, which went on the market in July 2017. That same year, the café-restaurant and shop were completed, and in May 2021 the Kintyre Gin School opened, where guests can blend pre-distilled distillates and make their own gin under guidance. In recent years, the distillery has also worked with cask-aged versions, including a Calvados cask aged edition in 2024.

Raw materials and production

Production is based on rectified grain neutral spirit, which is flavored and refined with botanicals and, in some cases, subsequently finished with cask ageing. The heart of the distillery is Big Don, a 230-litre Muller-engineered still, running on the estate’s own hydroelectric energy. This makes energy supply part of the production—not just the backdrop.

Several of the expressions are built on classic gin distillation, while others move on to post-distillation ageing in cask. The Gin School also shows a more educational side of the craft: here, guests work with pre-distilled distillates and create their own gin under the guidance of the team. The botanical recipes draw inspiration from Kintyre, from forest and coast to estate-grown ingredients such as apples, herbs, and fruit. This results in a range where the expressions can vary greatly, but where the local connection is consistent throughout.

Maturation and cask types

Cask maturation plays a clear role in several of the expressions. Kintyre Oak Aged Botanical Gin is aged in American bourbon barrels for several months, adding vanilla, toasted oak, and mild spicing to the original botanical profile. Kintyre Citrus Gin Calvados Cask Aged Edition, on the other hand, takes its rest in an ex-Calvados cask, where the apple brandy-tree timber brings orchard fruit, baked apple, soft vanilla, and warm spice. In both cases, the goal is to build depth and texture on top of a fresh gin core without blurring the botanical identity.

Whiskies

The range documented here shows a distillery with clear botanical breadth. Kintyre Botanical Gin is the original London Dry expression, while Tarbert Legbiter Navy Strength Gin turns up the intensity. Kintyre Pink Gin goes in a more fruity and softer direction, and the cask-aged editions show that the distillery also works with wood, vanilla, and deeper texture. Isle of Gigha Coastal Gin and Ceann Loch Citrus Gin place additional emphasis on coast, citrus, and local collaborations. Together, they create a range that spans from clean, classic gin to more distinctive, place-rooted expressions.

Whisky styles and flavour profile

The overarching style is fresh and distinctly botanical, with juniper as the backbone. Lemon, pink grapefruit, and other citrus notes recur as lifts, while forest floor, herbaceous characteristics, and a light tartness—for example from Icelandic moss and sheep sorrel—add depth. In the more prominent expressions, warm spices, hibiscus, and pink peppercorn also come through, and the coastal expressions contribute maritime tones from sugar kelp, salinity, and a dry, clean finish.

Visit the distillery

The distillery is open to visitors and brings the experiences together at Torrisdale Castle Estate. You can go on tours, tastings, and at the Kintyre Gin School, where guests blend pre-distilled distillates under guidance and finish with a cocktail. There is both a shop and a café-restaurant on site, and visitors are encouraged to book in advance. The information points to a place that functions as a full visitor stop rather than just a production facility.
See times and book a visit.

Philosophy and craftsmanship

Beinn an Tuirc is driven by the idea of stewardship: Niall and Emma see themselves as stewards of Torrisdale Estate and have used the distillery to create a new future for the site. Their values focus on diversification, innovation, and a gentle development of the estate, while also working to reduce their climate footprint through hydropower, biomass, restoration, tree planting, and rewilding. The motto is short and precise: Distilling to leave a legacy.

Sustainability

On-site hydroelectric scheme powers the distillery still.
Biomass boiler system on the estate.
Tree planting and rewilding are part of future estate plans.

Awards and recognition

• Navy Strength Scottish Gin Award (2024, Silver, Tarbert Legbiter Navy Strength Gin)

• Cask Aged Scottish Gin Award (2024, Silver, Kintyre Oak Aged Botanical Gin (2024 Edition))

• New Scottish Gin Award (2024, Highly Commended, Kintyre Oak Aged Botanical Gin (2024 Edition))

• Community Judges Award (2024, Highly Commended, Kintyre Oak Aged Botanical Gin (2024 Edition))

Latest news

Kintyre Gin School opens – 2021-05

In May 2021, Kintyre Gin School opened, offering the chance to blend pre-distilled distillates and make your own gin under guidance, finishing with a cocktail.