Isle of Mull Cheese launches Hebridean Cream Liqueur

Isle of Mull Cheese has released its first Hebridean Cream Liqueur ahead of the festive season. The drink is produced, distilled and bottled at Sgriob-ruadh Dairy Farm and Distillery, the family-run operation on the Isle of Mull in the UK. Sales will begin on 27 October through the farm’s online shop and the Isle of Mull Cheese Glass Barn Farm Shop.

The liqueur uses aged spirit made from whey, a by-product of the farm’s cheese production. The whey-based spirit is blended with cream produced from the farm’s milk and matured with oak. Isle of Mull Cheese describes the resulting drink as having notes of caramel, toasted nuts, vanilla and cocoa.

The product is bottled at 17% alcohol by volume and is sold in a 50cl format. The recommended retail price is £29.99, or €35.50. The initial release is capped at 600 bottles, which will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

Lily Reade, granddaughter of Isle of Mull Cheese founder Chris Reade, led the development of the limited-edition release. She is part of the third generation of the Reade family, which continues to own and operate Sgriob-ruadh Dairy Farm and Distillery.

“I’ve grown up watching my family make something from whatever the farm and the island gives us,” Reade said. She added that the family has sought to avoid waste by finding uses for products including milk and rhubarb, and said the farm’s production processes are powered by sustainable energy generated from island resources.

The liqueur is presented in a ceramic bottle with patterns made from materials collected at Sgriob-ruadh, including cow hair, leaves and other foliage. These materials were raku-fired onto tiles to create the textures and marks used for the bottle design. The first 100 bottles will come with gift bags made on the farm by Chris Reade. The launch follows the growth of the business from the farm established by Chris Reade 46 years ago into an internationally recognised producer of Isle of Mull cheese.