Outlander Star Sam Heughan Buys a Distillery in Scotland

Scottish actor, author, and spirits entrepreneur Sam Heughan, best known for his starring role in the popular TV series “Outlander,” is now a Scottish distillery owner. In late September, Heughan and business partner Alex Norouzi completed the acquisition of Crafty Distillery in Dumfries and Galloway in the Scottish Lowlands, and have since renamed it Galloway Distillery.

Galloway Distillery is located 79 miles south of Glasgow, 7 miles north of Bladnoch Distillery. It joins a growing number of distilleries in the area, including Annandale and Moffat, making it an ideal destination for visitors to tour a range of traditional and modern distilleries during a single trip. Under its former Crafty name, Galloway had been producing Heughan’s Sassenach Wild Scottish gin and a vodka. His blended scotch label The Sassenach was made elsewhere.

But Galloway ultimately will serve as the production center and showcase for The Sassenach, as Heughan hopes to attract more visitors to this scenic area of Scotland. Permits have been filed to significantly expand the distillery, repurposing it to produce not only gin and vodka but also malt and grain whisky. The upgrades will increase its production capacity and make Galloway Distillery a destination for whisky lovers.

Heughan is a native of the Dumfries and Galloway region, so this acquisition represents a homecoming. While best known for playing Jamie Fraser in “Outlander,” in 2020, he also co-authored the bestseller “Clanlands” with fellow Outlander actor Graham MacTavish, followed by his memoir “Waypoints” in 2022. Last month, Heughan published his latest book, “The Cocktail Diaries,” which gives readers simple, easy-to-follow recipes for his favorite cocktails. He has also collaborated with tequila maker El Tequileño on a limited-edition reposado called Sassenach Select, aged in American oak barrels and finished for 4 months in French oak casks. Looking ahead, Heughan will launch The Sassenach Finest Scottish vodka in November, and is working on developing further blends and a single malt scotch to add to the Sassenach portfolio.