The ‘wonderfully modern’ Scottish island distillery close to beautiful beaches that’s started making whisky

Moving to the other side of the world is no mean feat. But for one adventurous couple, they have managed to use the daunting challenge to transform a hobby into a thriving business on a Scottish island.

Stuart and Adelle Brown made the move halfway across the globe back in 2014, relocating from Australia to Orkney. They took their passion for ‘experimenting’ with making spirits, and opened Deerness Distillery, which is now expanding into whisky production.

Mrs Brown explained how it all came about, saying: “Deerness Distillery was always a dream, dating back to our university days when we experimented with making spirits, beer and wine from kits.

“It’s been a passion of ours for over 30 years, even while working all over the world, including in Australia. We moved to Orkney in October 2014 to embrace a different lifestyle and for Stu to take a career break after working in mining, oil and gas, and renewables. I returned to work as a pharmacist, while Stu became a stay-at-home dad looking after our three children. About a year later, Stu announced ‘we’re building a distillery’ and set about designing the plans.”

The couple decided to focus on making gin, vodka and liqueurs with “an eye on whisky for the future”. Construction began in 2016, with much of the work done by the couple, supported by family, friends, and neighbours. The distillery officially launched in February 2017 and has since become a recognised name in gin, vodka and liqueurs, winning national and international acclaim.

Deerness Distillery

Now, after the success of their other spirits, that eye on whisky is turning into a reality.

And it is an ideal time, with the gin boom slowing down and whisky remaining a decent investment. Mrs Brown said: “The gin scene remains positive, even with the significant increase in producers over the last six to eight years. Gin has been around for centuries and isn’t going anywhere, especially as demand continues to grow internationally.

“For us, the high tourist footfall keeps our sales strong for most of the year, and we’re also seeing rising demand for our vodka and our coffee liqueur, Orcadian Moon. Whisky, on the other hand, is set to grow in both investment and popularity over the next decade, especially with increasing global demand for Scottish whisky.

“Our approach will focus on niche casks and small-batch bottlings rather than mass production. We’ve found that customers increasingly prefer high-quality, family-run products, driven by the ‘buy local, shop local’ movement.”

As for expanding into whisky, it was always the ‘ultimate goal’ for the couple. Mrs Brown added: “Whisky was always the ultimate goal for us when we started the distillery, but it required significantly more capital to achieve. Thanks to the success of our gin, vodka, and liqueurs, as well as the growth of our team, we’ve been able to expand. This has included creating a fantastic new kitchen, bar, shop, cask room, and a dedicated still room for our whisky, gin, and vodka production.”

This new kitchen, bar, shop and general expansion could not have been possible without the local community of Orkney, which is “such an inspiring place to live and work”, according to Mrs Brown. She said: “The local community has been instrumental in our journey and remains a big part of our story. They’ve embraced our new café, kitchen and bar, and they enjoy our spirits throughout the year. We’re proud to employ around 18 local staff, and our recent expansion was built by local builders and tradespeople from our parish, ensuring the investment stayed within the community.”

Deerness distillery

With Orkney already home to Scapa and Highland Park, how does Deerness plan to stand out in the whisky market? By doing things a little differently, such as using heritage barley and something less common in distilling, Mrs Brown said.

“We’re excited about blending tradition with innovation in our whisky-making,” she said. “While we’re committed to creating a traditional Scotch whisky using barley, we’re also experimenting with locally grown grains, such as Bere barley [a heritage variety], rye, and oat/barley blends. We even plan to malt these grains on-site.

“Phase two of our project involves installing a two-ton batch malting machine to handle our locally-grown grains. We feel incredibly proud to join the new wave of whisky producers on the island. Orkney attracts travelers from all over the UK and the world, particularly in the summer, creating a vibrant cultural exchange.”

The couple are planning on opening a new tour room as well in April. Mrs Brown said: “[We’ll call it] the Copinsay Room, which can host up to 30 guests and offers stunning sea and countryside views. Visitors will have the chance to learn about our spirits and walk around our facility.

“Our future plans are exciting and sustainability-focused. Phase two includes a two-tonne malt house and a new cask storage building. Following this, phase three will involve a fully off-grid, small-scale biogas plant.

Deerness distillery

“With Stu’s experience designing, constructing and commissioning larger-scale biogas plants around the world, we’re confident in our ability to make this a success. The plant will use spent grains from whisky production, food scraps from the café, and botanicals from our polytunnel to generate energy for the distillery. Sustainability is a core part of island life and a key aspect of our business.”

It is an ambition the couple hopes will continue to build Deerness’s reputation as a welcome, exciting addition to the Scottish island distilling scene, and a match for Orkney’s stunning and atmospheric landscape.