About Arbikie Distillery
Arbikie is a family-owned farm distillery on the Angus coast near Lunan Bay. The Stirling family established the distillery in the 2010s on an estate their family has farmed for generations, building its identity around control of ingredients from field to bottle.
It is not exclusively a malt-whisky producer. Arbikie distils whisky, gin and vodka from crops grown on the farm, so a visit explains how different cereals, potatoes and botanicals can move through a shared agricultural and distilling operation.
History
The distillery began as a small operation in a farm building in 2014. Its creation extended the estate’s agricultural work into distilling, with brothers John, Iain and David Stirling developing a business that links crop choice, spirit production and eventual bottling.
Arbikie later became particularly associated with the return of Scottish rye whisky. The distillery describes its Highland Rye as the first Scotch rye whisky produced for more than a century, reconnecting modern experimentation with rye’s earlier place in Scottish distilling.
What makes it distinctive
The field-to-bottle approach means the estate grows core raw materials and can trace them back to individual crops. Barley and rye are used for whisky, potatoes for vodka, and peas have been used for Nàdar spirits. This is more than a sourcing claim: farming decisions form part of the production story visitors are shown.
Sustainability projects include using co-products, growing crops with different environmental effects and developing green-hydrogen energy for the stills. Exact performance claims can change as projects develop, so this guide focuses on the verified direction of the work rather than repeating promotional rankings.
Whisky character and significance
Arbikie’s whisky reputation is closely linked to rye and to the use of estate-grown grain. Its releases include Highland Rye single grain whisky, while the broader spirits range demonstrates why Arbikie is best understood as a farm distillery rather than a conventional single-malt-only site.
Visiting Arbikie Distillery
The visitor centre offers guided whisky and broader spirits experiences, tastings, a shop, and hospitality spaces overlooking the coast. Some visits focus on rye or sustainability as well as standard production. Booking directly is advisable, particularly for specialist experiences.
Location and surrounding area
The distillery lies between Montrose and Arbroath, above Lunan Bay on Scotland’s east coast. That agricultural and coastal setting is visible from the visitor spaces and helps explain why Arbikie places landscape and farming at the centre of its story.
- Whisky region
- Highlands
- Location
- Drumbertnot Farm, Lunan, DD10 9TR
- Visitor information
- Check the official website for current tours, tastings, access and booking arrangements.
Further information
Visit the official Arbikie Distillery website