BRITISH brand Sunspel has partnered with Isle of Harris Distillery on a single cask release of The Hearach single malt. Selected by Sunspel and bottled exclusively for the brand, the vanilla- and smoky-tasting tipple is available in Sunspel UK stores.
The project aligns with Sunspel’s broader exploration of British manufacturing and materials for its upcoming collections, combining the distillery’s island-based production with Sunspel’s long-established approach to making in Nottinghamshire.
Nicholas Brooke, CEO of Sunspel, discusses how the collaboration came about, the influence of Harris and its craft traditions, and why whisky was a natural extension of the brand’s interest in British production.
What led Sunspel to work with Isle of Harris Distillery, and what aligned between the two businesses?
We’ve known the Isle of Harris Distillery since they launched their gin in 2015. We always served it at our shop openings and customer events because we admired what they were trying to achieve. When our design team began looking at British craft as inspiration for our Autumn 2025 collection, I spoke to Anderson Burr Bakewell, who founded the distillery. His story was very inspirational.
The distillery was created to support the island’s community at a time when young people were leaving. Anderson wanted to build something that would provide long-term employment and keep local skills alive. It’s a social distillery in the truest sense. Islanders are trained from scratch, the production is hands-on rather than automated, and everything is rooted in local stories and place. Their gin is already distinctive, and their single malt, The Hearach, takes the same approach. It reflects the island: the soft water, the sea air, the community that makes it.
We’re also a craft business with deep roots in our community. Our factory in Long Eaton has been making garments since 1937. Many of the people who work there have been with us for years, often with family connections stretching back generations. So there was an immediate connection. Two small British companies trying to make exceptional products in a way that supports their local communities.
How did Harris Tweed and the island’s manufacturing traditions influence the collaboration?
For AW26, our design team, led by David Telfer, were exploring British fabrics and the ways they’re shaped by the landscapes around them. Harris Tweed had always stood out for its colours. The mill achieves incredible depth and texture, blending yarns inspired by the island itself. The colours shift from sea greens to heather tones to peat shades. You get something complex and natural, all created by islanders using generations-old hand-weaving techniques.
We had worked with Harris Tweed before, but when we visited the island this time and spent time with the makers, the link between the landscape, the people, the fabric and the whisky became very clear. It felt right to bring those stories together in a more complete way. The collaboration grew from that understanding.
How does this whisky release reflect Sunspel’s approach to manufacturing and traceability?
Our approach to manufacturing is very simple. We focus on quality, and we want to know exactly where our materials come from. In our Long Eaton factory, we control every step of what we make. For everything produced by our partner factories, we take the same approach. We design the fabrics, we source the yarns, and we work with people who care about what they do.
The Hearach takes the same attitude. It’s grain-to-glass traceability. They know the provenance of every element. The water is drawn from a local stream. The climate on the island shapes the maturation. Every stage is done there by hand by people who live on Harris. It mirrors our own belief that quality comes from understanding the full process, not just the final result.
What criteria guided the cask selection, and why was Cask 1152 chosen?
We were looking for something that reflected our philosophy. Subtle but distinct. Nothing loud or showy. Cask 1152 had a softness to it that was very appealing, yet there was a clear personality underneath.
How does a whisky project sit alongside Sunspel’s long-standing focus on elevated everyday garments?
British craft has always been built around small producers making things shaped by where they live. That’s true for whisky, and it’s true for textiles. These traditions only survive if they stand apart from industrial processes and offer something with real character. Craft whisky and our approach to garments share that belief. If you take care and you know why you make something a certain way, customers feel it.
by Felicity Carter
The collaboration whisky is available at Sunspel’s London and Edinburgh stores. See more on sunspel.com.