| Country | scotland |
| Region | Highland |
| Established | 1817 |
| Owner | Closed (formerly McConnell's Distillery Ltd; site later held by Booths Distilleries) |
| Type | Malt |
| Number of stills | 2 pot stills (approx. 300 gallons each) |
| Visitor center | No |
| Status | Closed |
| Phone | n/a |
Stromness Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery that once stood in the town of Stromness on Mainland, Orkney, in the Highland (Islands) region of Scotland. It was founded in 1817 and closed in 1928, making it one of the shortest-lived and least-documented of Scotland's historic distilleries. Its whisky was sold under the evocative brand name "Old Orkney," and it was once described by chronicler Alfred Barnard as the most remote distillery in the kingdom.
Stromness Distillery was established in 1817 by John Crookshanks on a small, half-acre site built into the side of a hill so that no pumps were needed to move materials through the process. The still house was reportedly the oldest part of the building, said to have been cut into solid rock and used by smugglers as an illicit still and mashing house before the licensed distillery was built around it. The site was registered under Harry Crookshanks in 1821, and ownership passed through several hands over the following decades, including Hector Munro (1825–1832), Harry and Margaret Crookshanks (to 1837), and John Sinclair (1852–1867).
In 1878 the distillery was bought and restored by the Macpherson brothers, who renamed it "Man o' Hoy" after a nearby island landmark before rebranding its whisky as "Old Orkney." Around 1900 it passed to the Belfast firm J. & J. McConnell Ltd, and by 1915 it had been transferred to McConnell's Distillery Ltd of London. Alfred Barnard visited during his 1880s survey of British and Irish distilleries and recorded two small pot stills of just 300 gallons each, a 10-foot mash tun, and four washbacks of 2,200 gallons apiece, all fired by peat. Production was tiny by industry standards, with an annual output of around 7,000 gallons — a fraction of nearby Highland Park's output at the time.
Economic pressures forced Stromness Distillery to close permanently in 1928, ending over a century of small-scale, isolated production. Booths Distilleries later acquired the site but never restarted operations, and the original buildings were demolished around 1940; the land was eventually redeveloped for local authority housing, leaving no trace of the distillery today. Because it never bottled single malt under its own name, everything it produced went into the "Old Orkney" blend. Surviving bottles from the 1920s are now genuine rarities: a 75cl bottle from that era has sold at auction for over £10,000, and even small 5cl bottles have fetched between £1,050 and £4,000, making original Old Orkney releases prized collector's items today.
Stromness distillery is located at Stromness, Orkney, Scotland.
Stromness distillery was founded in 1817.
Stromness distillery is owned by Closed (formerly McConnell's Distillery Ltd; site later held by Booths Distilleries).
Stromness distillery is from Highland, scotland.
You can buy Stromness whisky at Glenbotal.co.uk. We currently stock a selection with free UK delivery on orders over £99.
Last reviewed:
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.