To these plants I’ve added others that compliment the scent and qualities of these Harris natives. The Honeysuckle only grows where sheep can’t eat it favouring high rocky places often across streams, the roses grow in profusion on the coastal sandy soil and the seaweed thrives in underwater forests off the coast, unpolluted in crystal clear waters. I’ve used Thyme, Seaweed, Rose and Honeysuckle as a theme throughout the range – Thyme is picked slowly and meticulously on rocky, dry spots beside infrequently used single track roads. Products that invite time to use and savour but which protect and enhance the skin for both men and women. So from this I’ve tried to create a set of products that capture the energy and feel of the place, that resonate with the landscape both land and sea, that have passed through hands of people both local and visiting. I’ve bounced across peat, sunk up to my knees in bogs and felt the icy coldness of the Atlantic ocean. I’ve watched sunsets fill the horizon, tides turning and seas crashing on the sandy shore. I’ve watched herons feeding, sea eagles commanding the skies and damselflies dancing at the water’s edge. I have sat on rocks teasing out strands of wild Thyme marvelling at the beauty of the place. Each trip has been magical – the sun has shone, the plants have been pristine and the process of gathering them has been joyful. With that in mind, I have travelled to Harris collecting plants with a small but enthusiastic bunch of foragers. Part of the educational process is to create awareness about the local flora and how it can be used. Time to explore and delight in the landscape. The mantra is that on Harris there is time. Its raison d’etre is to serve the people of Harris, a tiny island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, to create jobs, educate islanders and as importantly, to educate us, the newly arrived, about the rich island heritage, to enfold visitors into the place and people. It represents a different kind of business, it is a social distillery. The Isle of Harris Distillery is a business that transcends the simple desire to make whisky with a return for its patient investors. I’ve talked about picking Thyme, Meadowsweet, Heather and other aromatics hardy, tough and full of aromatic intensity but I haven’t yet introduced the products that I make with them. I’ve written before about Harris, about the landscape, the sea and the Machair, the rock formations and the sandy beaches white and utterly inviting.
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