New Orkney whisky to be produced

A gin distillery in Orkney is branching out into whisky following £246,000 of funding from the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) for the £820,000 development.

Construction is now underway at the Deerness Distillery, which makes Sea Glass Fin, with the aim to begin production of a new whisky using Scottish barley and locally grown grains, alongside growth in the production of existing gins, vodka and a coffee liqueur.

Founded by Stuart and Adelle Brown in 2016, the new funding will contribute towards the building works and the cost of equipment for a café, as well as in the distillery, including mash tuns and copper whisky stills.

The overall project will see the existing premises now be extended to include a new cafe, visitor centre and retail shop that allows customers to also see the production process.

Additional buildings will also be built to house whisky malting and distilling equipment and whisky casks.

An integral part of the project is sustainability, with the company aiming to achieve net-zero and using green technologies to lower carbon emissions at the facility. Currently, plans include using spent grains from the distillery and food waste to create electricity to provide power, heat and hot water.

It also aims to produce animal feed from the waste grains, which will reduce waste from production, and assisting in the circularity of the ‘grain to glass’ production method.

Graeme Harrison, area manager for HIE’s Orkney team, said: “Whisky and gin production is a key part of our food and drink sector in Orkney. It provides valuable employment and contributes to community resilience.

“The development will help grow the business to a size where it can have a sustainable future. Orkney continues to experience a steady growth in volume tourism and this will be a valuable addition to our range of visitor attractions, particularly outwith Kirkwall, so we are very pleased to support this venture.”

Stuart Brown said: “We’re delighted to be embarking on this development, which would not have been possible without the support of HIE. Building on our success with gin and vodka production is an important step in our journey, allowing us to increase sales both nationally and internationally while creating employment in the islands, attracting more visitors and having a greener footprint.”

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