The Orkney Distillery, Kirkwall: The Islands’ Third

Overview

The Orkney Distillery is Kirkwall’s third distillery, after Highland Park and Scapa. It stands on the harbour front. It was founded by an Orkney couple, Stephen and Aly Kemp, a former builder and a former PE teacher, who launched Kirkjuvagr Gin in 2016. The name is the 1,000-year-old Norse name for Kirkwall. Their distillery, visitor centre, gin bar and café opened on the waterfront in 2018. In 2024 they began making whisky, filling small 50-litre casks from pilot stills, the start of a new chapter for Orkney whisky.

Where it is

The distillery is on Ayre Road, on Kirkwall’s harbour front, a few minutes’ walk from St Magnus Cathedral and the ferry terminal. Highland Park is about a mile south and Scapa about 2 miles. Orkney is reached by ferry from Scrabster, Gills Bay or John o’ Groats in Caithness, or from Aberdeen, or by air.

The full history

Orkney whisky

Orkney has a long whisky history. Highland Park was founded in 1798 and Scapa in 1885, and there were once other distilleries and plenty of illicit stills on the islands. Orkney’s peat, heathery and low in woody plants, gives its whisky a distinctive aromatic smoke.

Kirkjuvagr and Arkh-Angell

Stephen and Aly Kemp began with gin. Kirkjuvagr, launched in 2016, uses Orkney botanicals and takes its name from the Norse for Kirkwall. A second gin, Arkh-Angell, is named after a fishing boat that belonged to Aly’s father. The gins were a success, and the couple spent two years building a distillery and visitor centre on the harbour, which opened in 2018.

Whisky from 2024

In March 2024 the distillery began making whisky, filling several 50-litre barrels a week from its pilot stills. Stephen Kemp has described it as the start of a new era of whisky production in Orkney. The first Orkney Distillery single malt will be released once the spirit has matured.

How it’s made

The Orkney Distillery makes its gins in copper stills on the harbour front, and its whisky on small pilot stills, maturing in small 50-litre casks. Small casks mature spirit faster, though a single malt still needs at least three years.

Earls, saints & clans

• St Magnus Cathedral, a few minutes’ walk away, was founded in 1137 by Earl Rognvald in memory of his murdered uncle, St Magnus. Built of red and yellow sandstone, it is the finest medieval building in the north.
• The Norse Earls of Orkney ruled the islands for centuries. Orkney passed to the Scottish crown only in 1468–69, as part of the dowry of Margaret of Denmark.
• The Sinclair Earls held Orkney from 1379. See Clan Sinclair.
• The Stewart Earls: Earl Patrick Stewart built the grand Earl’s Palace in Kirkwall in the early 1600s, partly with forced labour. He was executed in 1615. See Clan Stewart.

Stones, lochs & the islands

• The Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site: the Ring of Brodgar, the Stones of Stenness, the chambered tomb of Maeshowe and the village of Skara Brae, all within 15 miles.
• The Dwarfie Stane on Hoy, a rock-cut tomb unlike any other in Britain. See our standing stones guide.
• The Loch of Stenness and Loch of Harray, between which the Brodgar stones stand. See our lochs guide.
• The Italian Chapel, Lamb Holm: built by Italian prisoners of war in 1943 from two Nissen huts.

Visiting

The Orkney Distillery has a visitor centre, gin and coffee bar and shop on the harbour, with tours and tastings. Check opening times and book ahead, especially on cruise-ship days.

Nearby distilleries

• Highland Park, Kirkwall (about 1 mile), with tours.
• Scapa, Kirkwall (about 2 miles), with tours.
• On the mainland: 8 Doors, John o’ Groats, and Wolfburn, Thurso.

The Orkney Whisky Trail and the whisky hub cover the region.

Sources

• The Scotsman: Orkney Distilling’s new distillery and visitor centre opens.
• NorthLink Ferries: Kirkjuvagr Gin from Orkney.
• Scotch Whisky magazine: Orkney’s early whisky makers.