To batch or not to batch? That is the question
Tasting The Hearach batches at Isle of Harris
A gamut of whisky releases have raised the question: are batch releases fair for both whisky lovers and distilleries? It’s a muddy area where there are no clear-cut answers.
Earlier this month I had the joy of tasting through four different batches of The Hearach right where it had been distilled: at the Isle of Harris Distillery. Bottlings 1, 5, 10 and 15 were all lined up in front of me, in the boardroom just seconds’ walk down the corridor from the stillhouse where these whiskies started life. We cracked a window to let the Hebridean air in, a passing downpour spattering on the glass of the velux window. To one side of the distillery, maritime waters. On the other, the rising slopes of the rocky, mountainous landscape. There’s nothing quite like experiencing a dram in the surroundings that birthed it.
The Hearach has commanded headlines ever since it was first released in September 2023. A lightly peated single malt with a recipe of sherry and bourbon casks, the first release sold out immediately. The brand’s positioning as ‘the social distillery’, where whisky-making provided much-needed careers to islanders, cut through. There was a clear purpose to this dram. AND it tasted good too. Once Batch 1 had been hoovered up, Batch 2 followed. And so on, and so on. The team has always prided itself on the transparency behind each batch. Detailed specifications are available for each run online, with information from age of the casks to peating PPM, filling dates, and much more. Collectors fought to secure each and every release, adding to their burgeoning stock of Harris liquid. The problem came when the batches kept on coming. ‘HOW many do they want us to buy?!’ was the online sentiment.
But the team never meant for each batch of The Hearach to become a collector’s item. Yes, each one is slightly different. But that’s due to the realities of small-scale production and the limitations of vatting size, the team told me. It’s a whisky that’s meant to be opened, savoured, enjoyed. But the narrative has become skewed. For Isle of Harris, the batch system was always meant to be a practical way to release whisky. But in some circles it’s been viewed as a cynical attempt at shifting stock.
It’s an interesting problem. Smaller distilleries especially struggle to batch large enough volumes of whisky to meet demand. That demand then outstrips supply – which fuels the sort of scarcity mindset that elevates whisky to ‘collectable’ status. Bottles ship, yes. But are they opened? Most likely not. This results in the sort of buyer fatigue that was never meant to be there in the first place.
Other young producing distilleries have had similar headaches. Lochlea is currently releasing the final round of its seasonal batched releases. The expectation is that the core range will be further developed next. And then the likes of Holyrood have abandoned the idea of core releases altogether, instead bottling intentionally distinct releases that refuse to be confined by any sort of set distillery character. All these approaches are valid, and all speak to the values of the individual distillery. But they do raise the question: are batched whisky releases helpful? Do they make sense? Do people understand them?
Practically yes. Batch releases are clearly useful. Especially for distilleries like Harris where batching and bottling capacities are small. The issue here isn’t around the drip-feed of releases. It’s more around consumer expectations. Do they know what they’re buying into, literally? In my view, communicating the long-term nature of batch releases and how many there might be would reduce some of the clamour, expectation and inevitable eventual discontent around the bottlings. More widely, the most successful batched releases are ones that come with an easily identifiable timescale and rationale. Front of mind as an example here is Bunnahabhain with its annual cask strength releases. Collectors and drinkers know there’s just one chance a year to experience the latest expression. It’s clear, it’s easily understood. There might be less of the hype, but there’s also far less confusion.
To batch or not to batch? There’s no clear-cut answer. And I don’t think there’s a right or wrong here either. But setting expectations for releases seems to be the best way to navigate launches for younger distilleries. Batches offer a rare snapshot of a moment in time at a distillery – and that’s always compelling. But brands would do well to manage the level or fervour around each expression by better communicating the wider plan. Batches and core releases all have a place – whisky drinkers just need to be kept up to speed.
