Arbikie Distillery
A family-run field-to-bottle distillery on the Angus coast, famous for gin and vodka and now for its own single malt.
Arbikie is a family-run, field-to-bottle distillery on the Angus coast, famous for gin and vodka and now for its first single malt, The Signature. Here is who owns it, how it is made, the range, the history and how to visit.
At a glance
House style & flavour profile
Young and grain-forward, from barley and rye grown on the estate.
Visiting the distillery
Arbikie is on the Angus coast, a short drive from Montrose and Arbroath. Check the booking confirmation for directions.
History
The full guide to Arbikie Distillery
Arbikie is a distillery that starts in a field. It stands on a working family farm on the coast of Angus, near Montrose, and it grows its own barley, rye, potatoes and other crops, then distils, matures and bottles the results on the same estate. It is best known for gin and vodka, but it has also been laying down whisky since 2015, and its first single malt arrived in 2026. If you want to see what a field-to-bottle Highland distillery looks like, this is the place to start.
Who owns Arbikie?
Arbikie is owned by the Stirling family. The distillery was founded in 2014 by the brothers John, Iain and David Stirling, on land their family has farmed for generations. It is independent and family-run, which makes it one of the few Scotch distilleries of any kind that does not belong to a large drinks group.
That puts it in the same company as Kilchoman on Islay, another farm distillery, and part of the wave we describe in Scotland’s new wave of distilleries. For the wider picture of which company owns which whisky, see our guide to who owns what in whisky.
The history of Arbikie Distillery
Arbikie is a new distillery on very old farmland. The Stirlings turned part of the estate to distilling in 2014, and began with vodka and gin, then went on to make a Scottish rye whisky that is described as the first of its kind in more than a hundred years. They also started filling casks of single malt in 2015, long before anything was ready to sell.
Over the following years the distillery became known for its low-carbon approach, including Nadar, a gin and vodka made from peas and described as climate-positive. A visitor experience opened in 2022. The first single malt, The Signature, finally went on sale in September 2026. To place Arbikie among its neighbours, read our beginner’s guide to Highland whisky.
How Arbikie is made
Arbikie calls its approach field to bottle. The ingredients for its spirits are grown on the estate, and everything from distilling to bottling takes place on the same site. The one step done elsewhere is the malting of the barley, which is carried out nearby in Montrose. The whisky is made from barley grown on the estate, including the Odyssey variety, which is used for The Signature. For the wider context, see how whisky is made.
Why does a distillery that grows its own grain matter?
Most Scotch is made from barley bought in from all over the country, so the farm cannot be tasted in the glass. A single-estate whisky from grain grown beside the distillery lets the maker control the variety, the soil and the harvest, which is the idea behind the Arbikie name and the reason people are watching it. Isle of Raasay released a special edition in 2025 made with Arbikie barley.
The Arbikie range
Arbikie makes far more than whisky. The whisky releases and rye you are most likely to meet are:
- The Signature (48% ABV), the first single estate single malt: a 10 Year Old matured in bourbon casks and made from barley grown on the farm. Only 1,000 bottles were released, at £250 each. See our note on age statements versus NAS.
- Highland Rye, a Scottish rye whisky made with rye grown on the estate. See rye whiskey for the style.
- Gin and vodka, including Nadar, plus potato vodka made from estate-grown potatoes. These are not whisky, but they are what the distillery is best known for.
To get a feel for farm-grown, independent Scotch, try our review of Kilchoman Machir Bay. Our guide to independent bottlers explains the wider independent scene, and our note on cask strength whisky covers the stronger releases.
Visiting Arbikie Distillery in Angus
Arbikie is on the Angus coast, a short drive from Montrose and Arbroath, with views over the farm and the sea. A Distillery Experience opened in 2022 and offers tours and tastings, and the distillery also joins the Doors Open Days programme with free tours and masterclasses. Check the website for the current tour list and book ahead in summer. Some listings show different postcodes for the distillery, so use the booking confirmation for directions.
Arbikie: quick answers
Who owns Arbikie?
The Stirling family, who founded the distillery in 2014, own Arbikie.
Where is Arbikie made?
Arbikie is made on the Arbikie Highland Estate, on the Angus coast near Montrose, in the Scottish Highlands.
What does field to bottle mean?
It means the ingredients are grown on the estate, and the spirits are distilled, matured and bottled on the same site. Only the malting of the barley is done nearby.
Does Arbikie make whisky?
Yes. Arbikie has been maturing single malt since 2015, makes a Scottish rye, and released its first single malt, The Signature, in 2026. It is also famous for gin and vodka.
Is Arbikie a single malt?
The Signature is a single malt Scotch whisky, made from malted barley at a single distillery. See our single malt section for more.
Thomas Grønvold is the founder of Caskable and a whisky enthusiast who believes the best way to learn about whisky is simply to drink it, compare it, and stay curious. From supermarket favourites to bottles from distilleries around the world, he writes about what he actually tastes and experiences, without pretending you need to be an expert to enjoy a good dram.
Buy the bottles
Related distilleries
Kilchoman Distillery
Islay’s independent farm distillery, making young, smoky single malt on the west coast since 2005.
Ardnahoe Distillery
Islay’s newest distillery, an independent, peated malt made with worm tubs above Loch Ardnahoe.
Port Ellen Distillery
Islay’s most famous ghost distillery, silent from 1983 until Diageo reopened it in 2024.
Aberlour Distillery
Speyside’s sherried favourite, made on the River Spey since 1879 and home of the cask strength A’bunadh.