Deerness Distillery Received Huge Donation to Complete New Distillery
A corporate announcement revealed that Deerness Distillery Ltd has been awarded £246,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) to help develop its $802,000 distillery. As of right now, construction at Deerness Distillery is underway. Located on a peninsula in the east end of the mainland, Deerness Distillery was founded by Stuart and Adelle Brown in 2016 and also produces multi-award winning Sea Glass Gin.
This summer, the family will launch production of their new whisky based on Scottish barley and special local grains from Orkney. The distillery will also increase production of its existing gins, vodka, and coffee liqueurs. An extension of the existing property will add a cafe, visitor center, and retail shop. The store allows visitors to view the production process. Additional buildings will house whisky malting equipment and distilling casks.
Deerness Distillery Will Use Award to Complete New Distillery
The firm is focusing on achieving net zero carbon emissions at the Deerness Distillery and is exploring green technologies to lower the carbon footprint. Plans include using food waste and spent grains to generate electricity for power, heat, and hot water.
Furthermore, the Brown family intends to transform the draff into animal feed, which will reduce waste from the whisky production cycle and complete the ‘grain to glass’ sustainability loop.
Funding from the HIE will be used to finance the construction of the distillery, mash tuns, and copper stills, as well as the cost of building works.
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 with Kirkwall, so we are very pleased to support this venture.”
Mr 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.”