| Country | scotland |
| Region | Islands |
| Established | 2016 |
| Owner | Stuart and Adelle Brown |
| Type | Single Malt (craft, whisky production added 2024) |
| Number of stills | 3 copper alembic stills (Walt, Zing, Matilda) plus a Portuguese copper alembic still for gin/vodka |
| Visitor center | Yes |
| Status | Active |
| Phone | n/a |
Deerness Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery located at Newhall, in the parish of Deerness on the East Mainland of Orkney, Scotland. It was founded in 2016 and is currently owned and run by husband-and-wife team Stuart and Adelle Brown. Originally built as a self-sufficient, family-run gin and vodka operation, Deerness added dedicated whisky stills in 2024, becoming mainland Orkney's first new whisky distillery in well over a century.
Deerness Distillery was established in 2016 by Stuart and Adelle Brown, a husband-and-wife team who emigrated from Australia and set up a small, self-built craft distillery on their smallholding at Newhall in the parish of Deerness, on Orkney's East Mainland. Stuart, a chartered engineer, designed and built much of the distilling equipment himself, while Adelle, a trained pharmacist, developed the brand's recipes. The distillery began life producing gin, vodka and liqueurs, most notably its multi-award-winning Sea Glass Gin, made with a Portuguese copper alembic still and botanicals gathered from the Orkney coastline.
In 2023 the Browns announced plans to expand into whisky production, and construction of a dedicated still house began that summer. The expansion was completed in 2024, when three new copper alembic stills (nicknamed Walt, Zing and Matilda) were commissioned alongside a new visitor kitchen and bar, the Dashing Deer Kitchen and Bar. The move made Deerness the first distillery to produce whisky on Orkney's mainland in around 138 years, since the founding of Scapa Distillery in 1885, and the first single malt casks were laid down that year. Because Scotch whisky must mature in oak for a minimum of three years before it can legally be called whisky, Deerness's inaugural single malt is expected to be released from around 2027 onwards; in the meantime the distillery has offered private casks of its new-make spirit to collectors.
Deerness's single malt whisky is still maturing and had not yet been released as of its planned launch from 2027, so there is no bottled core whisky range to list yet; early production has been offered as private casks of new-make spirit to collectors. The distillery's established core range centres on its other spirits, including the award-winning Sea Glass Gin, an Orkney vodka, and a range of liqueurs, all produced on-site at Newhall alongside the new whisky stills.
Deerness distillery is located at Newhall, Deerness, Orkney, KW17 2QJ, Scotland.
Deerness distillery was founded in 2016.
Deerness distillery is owned by Stuart and Adelle Brown.
Deerness distillery is from Islands, scotland.
Yes, Deerness distillery welcomes visitors.
You can buy Deerness whisky at Glenbotal.co.uk. We currently stock a selection with free UK delivery on orders over £99.
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About Glenbotal
The idea of Glenbotal came to us naturaly: as whisky lovers, we were always on the lookout for new experiences in the whisky world. That’s why we created Glenbotal and became our very own first customers. We buy unique and hard to find spirits from auctions, ballots, and private collections. Then, we share them with a small circle of friends and people who can appreciate a good dram.