Anderson Beckwith and his family have deep roots on the Isle of Harris, with a profound love for this land and its people. As stated on the distillery's homepage: 'The distillery concept stems from the recognition that we must leverage the island's natural assets to let more people know about this special place and its quality, in order to solve serious local economic issues.' With guidance from industry veteran and former Sales and Marketing Director, now Managing Director of Isle of Harris Distillery, Simon Erlanger, the Scottish government provided £1.9 million in subsidies, and Highland and Islands Enterprise (H.I.E.) contributed £900,000 in funding (total estimated cost: £10 million). This 'social distillery,' which broke ground in spring 2014, officially opened on December 17, 2015. It is a highly handcrafted operation, producing approximately two casks per day, with maturation and bottling conducted on-site in close connection with the local community. In addition to malt whisky, Isle of Harris also produces premium gin using sugar kelp. Including visitor center staff, the distillery provides 20 jobs.

This is the first legal distillery on the Isle of Harris. In keeping with the era's spirit of a 'community-run distillery,' all four distillers are locals new to hand distilling. Both the distilling team and the tasting panel consist of six community volunteers. The draff produced by the distillery is gifted to local farmers.