A family-owned Scottish distillery has hailed the opening of a new “dining destination” amid an expansion push.
Led by husband-and-wife team Stuart and Adelle Brown, the distillery’s expansion includes new fermentation tanks and mash tuns, with plans to collaborate with local farmers to source key ingredients for its distinct whisky.
Deerness Distillery, in Orkney, has opened its Dashing Deer Kitchen & Bar, which "celebrates the island’s rich food culture while supporting the distillery's ambitions as the island’s newest whisky distiller".
Offering seasonal, locally sourced dishes, the café overlooks Copinsay and marks a milestone for Deerness Distillery, which has grown from crafting award-winning gin to distilling its first new-make spirit later this year.
Mr Brown, now chair of Orkney Food & Drink regional food group, sees the destination as both a showcase for local producers and an extension of the distillery’s mission to honour Orkney’s resources, saying: “Collaborating with other Orkney producers is at the heart of our vision. The café’s evolving menu features ingredients from Orkney Food & Drink members, reflecting the island’s seasonal bounty.”
Support from the Orkney community has fuelled plans for festive events and guest chef evenings, which aim to highlight Orkney’s unique culinary heritage and growing reputation as a food and drink destination, the firm said.
“In his new role as chair of Orkney Food & Drink, and with the upcoming addition of whisky production at Deerness Distillery, Stuart is helping elevate Orkney’s profile as a destination for high-quality, locally produced food and drink. We’re thrilled to welcome another unique whisky distillery to the island. we look forward to seeing Deerness continue to flourish.”
With the Dashing Deer Kitchen & Bar now open, Deerness Distillery’s whisky journey promises to add a new chapter to Orkney’s story. For those drawn to the island’s natural beauty and local flavours, a visit "offers a warm welcome and a taste of Orkney’s heritage, culture, and artisanal spirit in every glass".
Fire chiefs hail £30m 'whole new level' 999 emergency system
Fire chiefs have hailed a major investment in new mobilisation technology that will deliver a "whole new level" of capability for Scotland's firefighters.
The technology will replace the "ageing systems" currently in use by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s three operations control rooms in Johnstone, Edinburgh, and Dundee, and deliver enhanced day-to-day and major incident response capability.
The SFRS has signed a seven-year, £29.5 million contract with US-based Motorola Solutions to provide a single, cloud-based solution to mobilise firefighters to emergencies following a 999 call.
Housebuilder completes landmark homes development
A landmark rural housing project hailed as "truly transformative" has been completed.
The project is described as one of the largest housing programmes in the area since the mid-1970s.
The homes at Upper Achintore in Fort William were delivered by Glasgow-based construction firm The JR Group, on behalf of Link Group.
The completion of the landmark development of 82 new energy efficient affordable homes realises "a collective vision to increase housing supply at a crucially important time for housing provision in Scotland and rural housing in particular".
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