Almost quarter of a million awarded to husband-and-wife run Deerness Distillery in Orkney by HIE

A distillery in the Orkney has been granted nearly quarter of a million pounds to produce a new batch of locally-grown whisky.

Deerness Distillery, which specialises in gin, vodka and coffee liqueur, has been awarded £246,000 from the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) for a £820,000 development of the distillery.

Run by husband and wife duo Stuart and Adelle Brown since 2016, the distillery on the east end of the mainland is best known for its award winning Sea Glass Gin.

Deerness has been granted the six-figure sum to begin production of a new whisky using Scottish barley and speciality locally-grown grains from Orkney.

The distillery is to be upgraded to include a new café, visitor centre and larger retail shop that allows visual access to the production process, with a view to opening in the summer.

Additional buildings as part of the redevelopment will house whisky malting and distilling equipment and whisky casks.

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.”