From Whisky Advocate - 92 points

"A peated expression from this urban distiller, founded in 2019 and just a short walk from Edinburgh’s historic center. This has dryness, minerality, sea shells, and salinity on the nose. The palate is peated but sweet and light with a background of peat that leads with honey, vanilla, poached pear and apricot. Smoke returns on the finish, melded beautifully with sweetness of pears and vanilla. Unusually light for a peated expression but very good."

ABV: 43.6%

Cask Type: Triple Cask Maturation - First Fill Bourbon, Peated Islay Quarter Cask & American New Oak

Bottle Size: 700ml

Nose: Lemon zest, horse chestnut pith, hints of peppermint and light hickory smoke

Palate: Wafer biscuits, dark chocolate mousse, notes of earthy Highland peat smoke

Finish: Light stewed pears, with a well rounded clean finish

Natural color, non-chill filtered.

Embra is the second flagship release from Holyrood Distillery, awarded 96 points by the IWSC.

A gateway to the world of peated whisky, capturing classic bold smoky flavours and textures of  while still being accessible to a new whisky drinker.

“The mindset for Embra was to set the stage for an exploration into peated whisky. Edinburgh is the gateway to Scotland for many people and this is the idea at the heart of this spirit. We wanted to find the perfect balance of bold smoky flavours and textures of peated whisky while still being accessible to a new whisky drinker. When someone says they don’t like peated whisky, this is the whisky to hand to them. That doesn’t mean there isn’t something for the seasoned peated drinkers as we have all of the hallmark flavours and textures of a great whisky.”  Calum Rae, Distillery Manager

Reviews from Real Scotch Drinkers

From Mark Gillespie at WhiskyCast 

Score: 93 Points

This lightly peated single malt has a gentle smokiness, along with touches of dried flowers, honey, and brown sugar. The taste has a nice balance of peat smoke, honey, heather, and dried flowers, while the finish is long and smoky. Very nice! (December, 2024)

By Chris Browne AKA The Islay Enthusiast

𝐍𝐎𝐒𝐄: A light campfire smoke blended with aromas of smoldering wet oak leaves. Smells of lemon and orange peel, including some zest. The soft sweetness of butter toffee. Even hints of ginger ale soda.

𝐏𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄: I found this whisky to be light and refreshing. A gentle campfire smoke followed by a citrusy lemon zest flavor. Surprisingly, this whisky leans a little towards the drier side. There's the nice butter toffee sweetness resting in the background, but subtle.

𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒: Embra is the second flagship release from Holyrood. Embra is a clean and refreshing peated whisky, not oily or heavy. This whisky could be enjoyed year round. I see this as a great whisky to enjoy even in the warmer summer months.

About Holyrood Distillery

Opened in 2019, Holyrood Distillery was founded by Canadian couple, Rob and Kelly Carpenter and Scot, David Robertson. The distillery’s founders had a vision to create a new kind of distillery, one that would reflect the dynamism and diversity of present-day Edinburgh.

Holyrood is a modern distillery in the heart of historic Edinburgh. Inspired by its surroundings, and never afraid to experiment, the distillery is dedicated to shaping the spirit of tomorrow.