For a lot of companies, anniversaries are marked with a social media put up, a small occasion or possibly a
new limited-edition product. However Orkney’s Deerness Distillery undoubtedly does issues otherwise. It celebrated its sixth birthday in type this month by saying plans for a serious growth at its east mainland base.
Famed for its award-winning vary of gins (Seaglass and Scuttled), vodka and liqueurs, the family-run enterprise is now set to
begin producing its personal malt whisky, in addition to opening a café and store. “Proper from the beginning we had
plans to be a spirits distillery, making extra than simply gin,” says proprietor Stuart Brown. “Whisky was
at all times an space we had been eager to maneuver into, and we finally wish to add quite a lot of malt and
totally different cask whiskies to our vary, together with 100% Orkney whisky, made with domestically grown grains
malted right here on the distillery.”
Stuart and his accomplice Adelle initially arrange the enterprise in 2016 earlier than opening the distillery and
launching their first merchandise the next 12 months. The couple loved making their very own gins as a
interest earlier than realising it was a ardour they wished to discover professionally. Stuart – a chartered
engineer to commerce – designed and constructed the present distillery and the enterprise has continued to develop
ever since.
And development could be very a lot the imaginative and prescient so far as the growth challenge goes. In addition to a brand new whisky stillhouse and cask storage space, there shall be a bigger vodka nonetheless in order that facet of the enterprise can
proceed to develop. The café and store shall be supplemented with new customer viewing areas and a
automobile park to deal with an anticipated enhance in guests.
“We have already got a really busy customer and store space through the summer time months however we’ve at all times
been restricted by house,” says Stuart. “Hopefully the growth will encourage extra individuals to come back
and see us, and provides us extra space to develop the enterprise too.
“We’re planning for the café to be open all 12 months spherical alongside the distillery – the purpose is to assist
market the east mainland as an actual vacation spot for each locals and guests.”
It’s additionally hoped that the new-look distillery will change into an essential employer within the space too, with
positions for distilling, manufacturing, catering, retail and seasonal employees all prone to change into out there.
Planning permission for the challenge has been permitted by Orkney Islands Council and now the following
step is to start constructing. The staff is working to a decent timescale and hopes to see building
work begin later this 12 months, with a tentative opening date set for April 2023.
As Orkney and the remainder of the nation begins to edge nearer to some sense of normality after extra
than two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, launching right into a large-scale growth could possibly be seen as a
danger. However for Stuart, there isn’t a time like the current. “During the last two years we’ve been fortunate
sufficient to proceed to develop regardless of the challenges confronted.
“I actually do imagine the very best time to start out a challenge like that is throughout a difficult interval, so that you’re
prepared and up and operating when the higher instances return.”
