The wife and I recently stopped-by Loch Ewe Distillery when we were passing the other month. It's the smallest legal distillery in the country where the friendly guy who runs it tries to recreate the ethos of illicit whiskey makers. He has to comply with a number of H&S and customs regulations, but after that he tries to improvise as much as possible using objects and kitchen utensils lying around, just like illicit whiskey makers would have had to do. For example, he ferments whiskey in a plastic wheelie bin; just the right size, easy to get hold of and easy to clean. He can’t actually call it whiskey as if I recall correctly it has to be matured for at least three years in casks before it can be sold as whiskey.
It was surprising how much barley flavour was present in the distilled spirit, and we bought a little bottle of “whiskey” he’d matured for a few months in a cask pre-soaked in dark rum. It was quite tasty, not at all peaty as the malted barley he buys contains no peat particles at all, and you could taste the rum which made for an interesting change.
More information for those curious...
Loch Ewe Whisky Distillery, Aultbea, Scotland