Scapa Distillery Visitor Centre — Attraction in Mainland

To be totally honest, I was initially planning on visiting just the Highland Park distillery. When I learned that it was closed for maintenance, I was checking Google for other well known distilleries in the neighbourhood I might be able to visit, but I couldn’t find any (I am no connoisseur and I’d never heard of Scapa before). That was until I got to talking with a local guy who had taken us on a boat trip around Orkney. He told me I should visit Scapa distillery and that the whisky was supposedly better than HP as well. I checked the website and was lucky enough to be able to book the £45 tour just one day in advance. They also offer a £25 tour and a £70 tour. When you arrive on site there’s just one arrow on the side of the road to tell you where to go, and driving alongside a couple unmarked warehouses got us wondering if the visitor center might be a bit hard to find, but it wasn’t. At 3pm the tour started and we were introduced to our guide “Jim”, pronounced “gem” in true Orkney fashion. As he showed us around the distillery and the warehouses, we were told all about the history of whisky in Scotland and of Scapa’s own tumultuous history. With the accent and the sound of the machinery it would get a little hard to understand at times, but it was always possible to ask our guide to repeat something. At the end of the tour we were led to a super cozy tasting area where we got to experience 5 of Scapa’s finest single malts. I loved that as Jim was reading out the tasting notes, he was being a bit coy with how poetic it was all formulated. For him (and for his audience as well) the tasting experience was more straight forward than that in the best way possible. Another big plus if you are driving is that you have the option to pour over your dram into a small bottle after a couple sips so that you can enjoy the whisky further at home. Would absolutely recommend this tour to whisky and...

What can I say about Scapa Distillery? First off, their hospitality was exceptional. Despite arriving 30 minutes late due to unforeseen circumstances, the team still accommodated us and honored our tour booking. Sarah, who gave us a private tour, was fantastic. While this level of flexibility might not be standard for every late arrival, they were incredibly understanding in our case.

The distillery itself is charming and authentically original. Even though it's owned by Chivas, Scapa maintains control over its production. With an annual output of just 1 million liters, many of their bottlings are exclusive to the distillery. It’s fully operational, which enhances the tour experience with the authentic sounds and smells of a working distillery. The onsite warehouse also allowed us to see some of their rarer casks, which are becoming increasingly rare.

The tasting experience at The Noust was outstanding. The building's ambiance, the views over Scapa Flow, and the selection of whiskies made it memorable. We sampled five whiskies ranging from New Make to 19 years old, with varieties including bourbon and sherry casks.

Sarah went above and beyond in helping us with our purchases, allowing extra sampling and assisting us in finding specific bottle numbers.

Overall, it was a fantastic experience. While many visitors to Orkney might initially aim for Highland Park, which is currently closed, I highly recommend a visit to Scapa Distillery. The whisky, the staff, and the tour are all top-notch and well worth your...

I had the worst time working with the staff of this distillery. I emailed in plenty of time to ask for the opportunity to visit a special tasting room they opened recently and taste some of the special reserve bottles (in the hopes to buying a few!) and the email back from the manager confirmed I’d be able to access the room and experience as a previous tour was finishing as we arrived so it seemed like everything was set up! However, when I got there the manager forgot that she spoke to me and she said they are very rigid in keeping to the tour times and will not be flexible for travelers to allow me access to the room or try any of the reserve tastings that I paid extra for. I think this is a bad business model with so much tourism in Orkney, to not be flexible enough to work with visitors who plan in advance and ask politely for help so the can maximize on experiencing their business! I happily paid for more access but instead of getting the experience I had hoped for, I was refunded and sent away due to her inability to articulate the logistics of her tour services. I had to explain to my entire tour group and my family that I was rejected and it was so embarrassing and upsetting. I don’t know how complicated it would have been, pouring a few more things for me to taste and letting me into a room for a minute to enjoy the craftsmanship...