New Make Brewers x Distillers Yeast Spirit
⏳ Drinking Window
Designed to be enjoyed fresh upon release, though it will remain stable indefinitely when kept sealed in a cool, dark place.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Smoked salmon, strong blue cheese, rich dark chocolate
✨ Technical Specifications
Representing a bold departure from traditional Scotch whisky production, Holyrood's Brewers x Distillers Yeast Spirit is an unaged new make spirit designed to showcase the profound impact of fermentation on flavor. While the Scotch industry has long relied on high-yield, standardized distiller's yeast, Holyrood revives Edinburgh's historic legacy as a brewing powerhouse by co-fermenting malted barley with both traditional distiller's yeast and specialty brewer's yeast. This experimental marriage yields an incredibly aromatic and textured spirit, bursting with tropical esters, cereal sweetness, and a distinct bready complexity directly from the washback. By bottling this spirit 'new make' (unaged), Holyrood invites spirits enthusiasts to experience the pure, raw DNA of their liquid before it ever touches an oak cask.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 2019 by Rob and Kelly Carpenter alongside former Macallan master distiller David Robertson, Holyrood Distillery marked the return of single malt whisky distillation to central Edinburgh after nearly a century of absence. Housed within a restored 1830s railway goods shed beneath Arthur's Seat in the Lowlands, Holyrood operates with an innovative, flavor-first distilling ethos deeply informed by Edinburgh's historic brewing heritage. Rather than conforming to traditional regional conventions, the distillery experiments extensively with diverse malt varieties—including heirloom, chocolate, and crystal barleys—along with an array of specialty brewing, wine, and sake yeast strains. Utilizing washbacks with extended fermentations and tall copper pot stills, Holyrood captures distinct ester and phenolic profiles before aging spirit in meticulously selected casks. Benchmark expressions include their inaugural single malts Arrival, Ambir, and Embra, alongside singular single-cask trials showcasing red wine, sake yeast, and peated variants.
🍷 ABV
60%