Welcome, adventurer! Your epic Orkney saga has begun. We invite you to enter our new distillery and visitor centre in Kirkwall, to toast the gods and learn the secrets behind our legendary Kirkjuvagr Orkney Gin.
If you seek the true essence of Orkney, we urge you to join us!
Reflecting the boldness of our Norse ancestors, the clarity of our seas and the purity of our air, Kirkjuvagr is a hand-crafted Orkney gin for the modern, discerning gin enthusiast.
Kirkjuvagr means “Church Bay” in Old Norse. Back when Orkney was emerging as a seat of power in the Viking Empire, the Norsemen would sail their longships into Kirkjuvagr, which over the centuries grew into our islands’ capital, Kirkwall. In name, Kirkjuvagr Orkney Gin reflects the rich history of our islands and the boldness of those ancient seafarers. In character though, it’s utterly contemporary and has been crafted with the modern, discerning gin enthusiast in mind. It is, quite simply, unmistakably Orcadian.
When creating Kirkjuvagr, on the shores of Kirkwall Bay, we thought it fitting to seek out a connection to our Viking ancestors that ran deeper than just our name. We then discovered a local legend that spoke of a variety of Angelica brought to the islands by Norsemen centuries ago, which can still be found growing wild today. Naturally, this very Angelica is now one of our defining ingredients, complementing a distinctive blend of local botanicals, including Ramanas Rose, Burnet Rose and Borage. Uniquely, we’ve also used traditional Orkney bere barley in our recipe.
Orkney Distillery Tours
Situated on Kirkwall’s harbour front, the Orkney Distillery is the ideal attraction for gin enthusiasts looking for a quality visitor experience in the heart of Orkney’s main town. Our distillery tours run at 2pm Wednesday-Saturday with extra tours added for peak times during the summer. You can check live availability and book online through our website. And it’s not just for adults. Children can enjoy the tours too (without alcohol of course!)
- Learn about the distilling process including our key botanicals
- See production area to winess where the magic happens
- Sample our gins whilst overlooking Kirkwall’s harbour
- Relax with a coffee or gin and purchase bottles and unique merchandise to take away
Pets are welcome at both our Oot The Back bar and the front bar at the Orkney Distillery & Visitor Centre.
