60°47′52″N 0°49′26″W / 60.7978°N 0.824°W
 | |
| Region: Island | |
|---|---|
| Location | Isle of Unst |
| Founded | 2015 |
Saxa Vord distillery is a Scotch whisky and gin distillery on the island of Unst, part of the Shetland islands.[1][2][3][4][5] The distillery takes its name from its location immediately south of RAF Saxa Vord, an RAF station and headland. The distillery buildings are adjacent to the SaxaVord Spaceport.[6]
It is the most northerly distillery in the United Kingdom.[7][8] The distillery is the first legal distillery on the Shetland Islands and the first ever legal whisky in Shetland.[8]
History
editThe distillery company was first established in 2012 by Wilma and Stuart Nickerson (formerly of William Grant & Sons), and Frank and Debbie Strang.[2][6] By 2013, plans proposed modifying former RAF buildings at Saxa Vord to house the distillery.[9] The first gin was produced in August 2015 and the first blended whisky released in November 2015.[4]
Products
editThe distillery produces drinks under the Shetland Reel brand.[4] Their standard products include an island-distilled gin and a blended Single malt whisky. The gin is made with botanicals include apple mint.[8][10]
The company exports its products to numerous countries, including the US, Canada and Sweden.[7]
The distillery has also produced a limited cask-aged gin.[11]
References
edit- ^ Wishart, David (2020). Whisky Classified. Choosing Single Malts by Flavour. Pavilion Books. p. 263. ISBN 978-1911595731.
- ^ a b Ridley, Neil (2019). The World of Whisky. Taste, Try and Enjoy Whiskies from Around the World. Pavilion Books. ISBN 978-1911663072.
- ^ Laing, Fiona (2019). The Gin Clan: Scottish Gins and Distilleries. Great Northern Books. ISBN 978-1912101481.
- ^ a b c "Shetland Reel". Scotch Whisky.com. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ Buxton, Ian (2017). Whiskies Galore. A Tour of Scotland's Island Distilleries. Birlinn. p. 271. ISBN 978-0857903518.
- ^ a b "Private equity firm buys £2m stake in Shetland satellite launch site". Insider. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Scotland's most northerly gin maker wins export deals with US, Canada and Sweden". Scotsman. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ a b c "Shetland distiller takes title of most northerly UK gin". The Spirits Business. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "Shetland whisky ambition at former Saxa Vord RAF base". BBC News. 24 September 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ Carrell, Severin (27 December 2015). "I have a dram: meet the whisky micro-distillers springing up across Scotland". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "Shetland Reel Up Helly Aa cask aged gin is back on sale for 2022". Scotsman. 20 January 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.