What Holyrood Distillery does

Holyrood Distillery is an Edinburgh-based urban craft distillery founded in 2019, notable as the city’s first single malt whisky distillery in over a century. Its core proposition centres on an experimental, flavour-first approach to whisky production in which character is built from the brewing stage using heritage and specialty malts (Plumage Archer, Chevalier, Golden Promise, Maris Otter, plus a wide range of beer-style specialty malts) and diverse yeast strains drawn from brewing, distilling, winemaking, and sake fermentation, deliberately diverging from the conventional assumption that most whisky flavour derives from cask maturation. The portfolio extends beyond single malt whisky (limited releases including Arrival, Ambir, Noir Trilogie, and single cask expressions) into Height of Arrows gin (a juniper, Isle of Skye sea salt, and beeswax recipe produced using a whisky-making ethos) and Elizabeth Yard rum (sourced globally and finished in whisky-grade casks at the Royal Elizabeth Yard warehouse in Kirkliston), with Charmed Circle vodka rounding out the range. Casks are sourced internationally from ex-bourbon, Spanish Oloroso, and wine cooperages (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Chardonnay).

Name

Holyrood Distillery

Legal name

Holyrood Distillery Ltd.

Website

https://holyrooddistillery.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Holyrood Distillery is an Edinburgh-based urban craft distillery producing experimental single malt whisky, gin, rum, and vodka using heritage malts and diverse yeast strains. Founded in 2019, it serves whisky enthusiasts, tourists, and cask investors across 30+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Single Malt Scotch Whisky

NAICS

Distilleries (312140), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (4453)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Distilled Spirits Production & Distilling (AFAFAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spirits Distilling & Brands (CRADAIAC), Distilleries (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAG), Spirits Distillery Tours & Tastings (Whiskey, Rum, Gin, Vodka) (THAJAGAF), Fine Wine & Luxury Spirits Retail (CRANABAE)

Keywords

• Single malt whisky
• Craft distillery spirits
• Distillery tour experiences
• Cask ownership programme
• Specialty malt whisky

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Spirits Sales: Direct sales of whisky, gin, rum, and vodka products through e-commerce and physical distillery shop. Products include single malt whisky releases (Noir Trilogie, Ambir), Height of Arrows gin range, Elizabeth Yard rum range, and Charmed Circle vodka.
2. Cask Programme: Sale of maturing casks to investors who can own a Holyrood Single Malt Scotch cask, with 2024 programme featuring Heritage Malt (£6000) and Specialty Malt expressions.
3. Distillery Tours & Experiences: Revenue from guided tours, whisky tastings, gin experiences, and special events including Distillery After Dark, Edinburgh Fringe sessions, and private hire.
4. Wholesale Distribution: Sales to retail partners including Master of Malt, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Hedonism Wines, and international distributors across France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Switzerland.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Holyrood Distillery produces and sells experimental single malt Scotch whisky, award-winning gin (Height of Arrows), cask-finished rum (Elizabeth Yard), and heritage-barley vodka (Charmed Circle) through direct e-commerce, on-site retail, paid distillery tours and tastings, an investor cask ownership programme, and wholesale distribution to specialist retailers and international distributors.

Product overview

Holyrood Distillery is an urban whisky, gin, rum, and vodka producer in Edinburgh established in 2019, notable for being the city's first single malt whisky distillery in over a century. The company's product portfolio centers on experimental single malt whisky (including Single Malt, Single Cask, Ambir, and Noir Trilogie), the award-winning Height of Arrows Gin (Bright, Funk, Homeland expressions), Elizabeth Yard premium rums (Sherry Cask Edition and Single Cask releases), and Charmed Circle heritage barley vodka. The distillery differentiates itself through a brewing-inspired approach using heritage malts (Plumage Archer, Chevalier, Golden Promise, Maris Otter) and diverse yeast strains (brewer's, distiller's, wine, and sake yeasts) to build flavor from the start of production rather than relying solely on cask maturation. Additional offerings include New Make Spirit releases, a Cask Investment Programme, and distillery tour experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Height of Arrows: An elevated gin brand made with juniper, Isle of Skye sea salt, and natural beeswax. Inspired by the whisky-making ethos, Height of Arrows focuses on a single botanical (juniper) with modifiers for texture and flavour depth. Available in expressions including Height of Arrows (classic), Height of Arrows Bright, and Height of Arrows Funk.
• Elizabeth Yard
• Charmed Circle
• New Make

Products and services

• Single Malt Whisky Experimental single malt Scotch whisky releases built from heritage and specialty malts combined with diverse yeast strains, offered as limited editions with no age statement and no core expression. Targeted at whisky enthusiasts and collectors seeking flavour profiles not found in mainstream Scotch.
• Single Cask Whisky Limited edition single cask whisky expressions that trace the maturation journey from new make spirit to fully matured whisky, sold as numbered releases to collectors and enthusiasts.
• Ambir Single Malt Whisky Specialty malt-focused single malt whisky release celebrating the distillery's exploration of specialty malts, combining Chocolate malt, Vienna malt, Crystal 240, and Caramalt to deliver a sweet and creamy profile with caramel, fudge, and red fruit notes at 49.8% ABV (70cl, £61.86).
• Noir Trilogie Single Malt Whisky Collection of three single malt whiskies finished in French wine casks sourced from Bordeaux (47.1% ABV), Premier Cru (47.2% ABV), and Burgundy (47.4% ABV) vineyards, with each expression using different French wine yeasts combined with Scottish malt, priced at approximately £55.10 each.
• Height of Arrows Gin Award-winning London Dry gin range that applies whisky-making principles, built on juniper, Isle of Skye sea salt, and natural beeswax for texture. Offered in Bright, Funk, and Homeland variants at 43% ABV (Classic £36.74, Bright £37.70, Funk £37.70, Homeland £40.60) for gin enthusiasts seeking minimal-botanical, texture-led spirits.
• Elizabeth Yard Rum Premium cask-finished rums sourced from producers in Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad, Réunion Island, and Fiji, all finished at the Royal Elizabeth Yard warehouse. Includes the Sherry Cask Edition blended rum (42.5% ABV, 70cl, £33.84, no added sugar or colour) and limited single cask rums such as Barbados Palo Cortado, Belize Pedro Ximénez, Barbados Virgin Oak, and Guyana Port Barrique, aimed at rum enthusiasts and collectors.
• Charmed Circle Vodka Vodka made from heritage barley varieties Chevalier and Golden Promise, extending Holyrood's grain-led experimentation beyond whisky into a distinctive vodka range for consumers seeking provenance-forward spirits.
• New Make Spirit Unaged spirit taken directly from the still to demonstrate the flavour profile created by Holyrood's heritage and specialty malt and yeast experimentation prior to cask influence, sold in limited batches to enthusiasts and collectors.
• Cask Ownership Programme Direct-to-investor sale of maturing Holyrood Single Malt Scotch whisky casks, structured as a multi-year ownership contract with the 2024 programme offering Heritage Malt and Specialty Malt expressions from £6,000 per cask; the 2024 offer was the fifth and final cask offer.
• Distillery Tours & Experiences Paid visitor experiences at the Edinburgh distillery including Holyrood Distillery Tour (£25pp, 1hr), Journey to Whisky Tour (£29pp, 1hr), Behind the Cask whisky tasting (£45pp), Holyrood Gin Tasting Experience (£28pp, 1.5hr), Self-Guided Tasting Flight (£20pp), Brewing & Distilling Heritage Walking Tour (£20-£30pp), Distillery After Dark (£35pp), Edinburgh Fringe Single Malt Sessions (£15pp), and free EH Evenings for Edinburgh residents with donations to Edinburgh Food Project. Targeted at tourists, enthusiasts, and corporate groups.

Quantifiable outcome

• 788 reviews on TripAdvisor
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Edinburgh Gin: Edinburgh-based premium gin producer with strong tourism/distillery presence and multiple gin expressions. Most directly comparable to Holyrood on Edinburgh location, gin-focused sub-brand (Height of Arrows), and experiential retail.
• Cotswolds Distillery: English craft distillery producing single malt whisky, gin, and vodka with a multi-product and tourism-led model. Comparable in size, multi-category strategy, and experiential positioning.
• Nc'nean Distillery: Organic-certified experimental Highland distillery producing limited-release single malt with a strong flavour-first ethos. Closely comparable in founding era, scale, and experimental positioning.
• Isle of Raasay Distillery: Small Scottish island distillery producing single malt and gin with a strong direct-to-consumer and on-site experience model. Comparable size, era, and multi-category (whisky + gin) strategy.
• Waterford Distillery: Irish single malt distillery built around provenance, terroir, and flavour-first experimentation. Comparable era, scale, and innovation-led branding.
• Compass Box Whisky Co. Independent Scotch maker known for blending innovation and flavor-first philosophy. Highly comparable to Holyrood on differentiated methodology, premium positioning, and limited release cadence.
• Bruichladdich Distillery: Scottish distillery renowned for experimental, terroir-driven Scotch production, including heavily peated and unpeated expressions. Most directly comparable to Holyrood on innovative methodology and progressive positioning within Scotch.
• Lindores Abbey Distillery: Lowland Scottish single malt distillery launched in the modern era, comparable size and operational era to Holyrood. Also diversified into gin and rum and pursues an experiential tourism model in a heritage location.
• Isle of Harris Distillery: Modern Scottish single malt distillery combining spirit production with significant tourism and gin (Hearach) lines. Comparable in build-out era, multi-product diversification, and tourism-anchored GTM.

Broad incumbents

• Glenmorangie Company: Major Highland single malt producer (LVMH/Moët Hennessy) with extensive innovation programmes and global distribution. Comparable on single malt focus but vastly larger scale and broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/holyrooddistillery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/holyrood-distillery
• Instagraminstagram.com/holyrooddistillery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Holyrood Distillery