Scapa distillery, whisky distillery in Orkney Islands, Scotland, UK
Scapa Distillery is a whisky-making facility on the Orkney Islands located near Scapa Flow bay. The small operation uses traditional methods, including a rare 20th-century Lomond still, and produces roughly one million liters of lightly smoky whisky yearly with notes of honey and sea salt.
Founded in 1885 by Glasgow-based Macfarlane and Townsend, the distillery experienced a fire in 1919 that sailors from the nearby Grand Fleet extinguished using seawater. After several ownership changes, including Hiram Walker in the 1950s, operations restarted in 2004 and opened to visitors in 2015.
The name Scapa comes from Scapa Flow, the natural bay that defines the distillery. Visitors notice how the facility sits within the quiet island landscape and forms part of local whisky-making traditions passed down through many generations.
Open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the distillery sits less than one mile from Kirkwall. The visitor center is easy to reach and guests should check the website to book tours, as hours expand during peak season.
The distillery's Lomond still is one of the last functioning examples of this rare 20th-century distillation equipment. This special apparatus was moved from another distillery and significantly contributes to the whisky's distinctive flavor profile that many visitors notice.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
