Orkney Akvavit
Burray, Scotland, United Kingdom
- ABV
- 41.5%
- Base spirit
- Unknown
- Color
- Clear
- Style
- Unaged Aquavit
Orkney Akvavit is produced on the island of Burray in Orkney, Scotland. Launched in March 2020, it was the first commercially released Scottish akvavit and the first non-gin spirit in the Orkney Gin Company range. It is bottled at 41.5% ABV in 700 ml bottles.
The recipe is caraway-led and uses whole botanicals including caraway, orange, rosehips, star anise, Madagascan vanilla and cinnamon. The botanicals are steeped in spirit before the final distillation. Orkney Akvavit is distilled eight times in total, with the final botanical distillation carried out slowly in the company’s 250-litre still; the producer describes this final stage as taking more than 24 hours.
The spirit is clear and unaged. Its creation draws directly on Orkney’s historical connections with Scandinavia: the islands were under Norwegian rule for centuries, and the company uses this Norse heritage as part of the identity of the akvavit. The bottle design also incorporates the selkie imagery used across the producer’s range, based on Orcadian folklore.
Orkney Akvavit received a Master medal at The Spirits Business Luxury Masters in 2020 and was named overall winner in the spirits category at the Great British Food Awards in 2021. It received three stars at the Great Taste Awards in both 2020 and 2022, and was named World’s Best Aquavit at the World Drinks Awards in 2022 and again in 2025. In 2025 it also received a further one-star Great Taste Award.
In 2022, Orkney Gin Company joined Psychopomp Microdistillery and Silver Circle Distillery in the British Aquavit collaboration, bringing together the first Scottish, English and Welsh producers of aquavit to promote the category in the UK.
About the producer
Orkney Gin Company
Burray, Scotland, United Kingdom
Orkney Gin Company was founded by Gary and Andrea Watt on the island of Burray in Orkney. The project began developing around 2014–2015 after the couple had spent years making spirits for friends and family, and commercial production began in 2016 with Johnsmas and Mikkelmas, the first gins produced in Orkney. The business initially operated on a very small scale from the Watt family home before moving production into a purpose-built microdistillery nearby.
The company draws extensively on Orcadian ingredients, history and folklore. Botanicals are grown or foraged locally where possible, while product names and bottle designs reference old Orcadian traditions, Norse influence and stories such as the selkie legends. Gary Watt is the owner/director and head distiller, and the family team has also included Andrea and their daughter Erin.
Production combines the cold-compounding methods used for some of the company’s original gins with conventional distillation for later spirits. A purpose-built 250-litre still is used for products including Aatta Gin and Orkney Akvavit, both of which undergo eight distillations. The range has expanded beyond gin to include Orkney Akvavit and Orkney Vodka.
The legal company is Orkney Spirits Limited, while Orkney Gin Company remains the principal trading name used with consumers.