Since the Orkney Distillery opened in 2018, the Kirkjuvagr story has been one of amazing growth – from the range of products and production volume to the skillset and size of our in-house team. Anna Younie has been a core part of the team throughout the journey – transitioning from weekends working behind the bar to our Events & Marketing Manager.

When did you first join the Kirkjuvagr Team?

I first started at the Orkney Distillery as a tour guide and bar operative in 2018 after graduating and returning home from uni. It was a great chance for me to get involved in a company that was just beginning to develop and it’s been a really exciting journey to be able to grow with the business.

What does a typical day at The Orkney Distillery look like for you?

No two days are ever the same for me - it’s great to have that bit of variety in your job! Between organising content for our social media pages, working with various publications regarding adverts to showcase our gins and helping local businesses and members of the public to arrange their events in the distillery’s function room, there’s always plenty going on!

I especially like being able to work closely with clients who wish to have a bespoke label designed for their own gin. We’ve previously had customers approach us to help them create a personalised label for the likes of weddings, business anniversaries and most recently the launch of a new fishing boat! It’s lovely to be able to help folk create something that’s special and a wee bit different to the usual keepsakes.

How have the ongoing effects of COVID-19 affected your role and what are you most excited about now that restrictions are beginning to ease?

I initially started my journey with the distillery team as a part-time worker on Friday and Saturday evenings before training to be a tour guide and later becoming bar supervisor in 2019! As time progressed, and the pandemic forced us all to close, we dived into the world of hand sanitiser where myself and some of the team began producing and bottling all we could to make sure our hospital, local schools, key workers and latterly shops had what they needed. Over a year later it’s still being distributed and used throughout the community.

I was then able to try my hand on the production line, assisting to distil and bottle the gin. This is a really exciting part of the business to try and learn a bit more about. As places started to reopen, we were able to shift our focus back to distilling our products and spending more time on our own marketing, which allowed me to relocate myself up to the distillery office in May this year. As part of the reopening I have now taken on the events and marketing side of the business. This is the part I really enjoy – being able to create content for our social media and keep you lovely lot up to date with the goings on at the distillery.

It’s been a speedy (and very eventful!) three years with the Kirkjuvagr team and its really exciting to be able to have a job where you can try your hand at a variety of different aspects to the business.

Our Northwest Passage Expedition Gin has won a gold award in the ultra-premium category at The Spirits Business’ 2021 Gin Masters awards.

This year’s competition recorded 472 entries from 233 companies – making it the biggest competition in The Global Spirits Masters series to date.

Each spirit was judged in a two-day blind tasting event in London, chaired by The Spirits Business and a panel of leading spirits specialists.

Launched late last year as a collaboration between Orkney Distilling and the Northwest Passage Expedition team, the gin’s unique flavours are drawn from Sugar Kelp, Angelica Archangelica, Ramanas Rose, and Burnet Rose.

Orkney boasts a strong connection to the history of Arctic exploration, water used during distillation sourced from the same well that early explorers - such as Captain’s Sir James Cook and Sir John Franklin - used to stock their ships in Orkney.

The Northwest Passage Expedition itself is an attempt to be the first to the row the 3,700km arctic route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Jack Hopkins, one of the eight crew members embarking on the expedition, was delighted to learn of the gin’s success: "To see Northwest Passage Expedition Gin win Gold in the The Spirits Business "Gin Master” is amazing. We have had so many great comments about our gin since it was launched and to be recognised by this award is really exciting.

We hope the award will help us market the gin to a wider audience and in doing so help us raise the funds needed for the expedition as well as help us with our goal of supporting Big Blue Ocean Cleanup, the marine conservation organisation.

We have to thank Stephen Kemp and the team at Orkney Distillery for all the support we have received and making this all possible.”

The gold award is the first formal recognition for Northwest Passage Expedition Gin, and the third award picked up by The Orkney Distillery in 2021 after both Beyla and Kirkjuvagr tasted success earlier this year.

If you’re ready to be transported back to the Age of Discovery, Northwest Passage Expedition Gin is available online now!