Our Orkney Gin
Our Orkney Gin
Inspired Islands Spirit
Kirkjuvagr means “Church Bay” in Old Norse. Back when Orkney was emerging as a seat of power in the Viking Empire, the Norsemen would sail their longships into Kirkjuvagr, which over the centuries grew into our islands’ capital, Kirkwall.
In name, Kirkjuvagr Orkney Gin reflects the rich history of our islands and the boldness of those ancient seafarers. In character though, it’s utterly contemporary and has been crafted with the modern, discerning gin enthusiast in mind.
It is, quite simply, unmistakably Orcadian.
A Modern Orcadian Saga
Our quest is to earn Kirkjuvagr mythical status with gin drinkers around the world.
We handcraft our gin in small batches using traditional copper stills in a process defined by passion, commitment and attention to detail.
After all, the Vikings didn’t mess around. Nor do we.
And the symbol on our bottle top? That’s a Vegvisir, or Viking compass. Its power helped the Norsemen find their way. Now we hope it’ll lead you north on your own epic voyage to discover the home of Kirkjuvagr.
A Myth in the Making
When creating Kirkjuvagr, on the shores of Kirkwall Bay, we thought it fitting to seek out a connection to our Viking ancestors that ran deeper than just our name.
We then discovered a local legend that spoke of a variety of Angelica brought to the islands by Norsemen centuries ago, which can still be found growing wild today.
Naturally, this very Angelica is now one of our defining ingredients, complementing a distinctive blend of local botanicals, including Ramanas Rose, Burnet Rose and Borage. Uniquely, we’ve also used traditional Orkney bere barley in our recipe.
Kirkjuvagr Orkney Gin Botanicals
When forming the Kirkjuvagr Orkney Gin recipe, we discovered a local legend that spoke of a variety of Angelica brought to the islands by Norsemen centuries ago. This Angelica can still be found growing wild today.
It became one of our defining ingredients, complementing a unique blend of local botanicals, including Ramanas Rose, Burnet Rose and Borage. Uniquely, we’ve also used traditional Orkney bere barley in our recipe.
Our Orcadian botanicals have been specially grown and handpicked for us by the Agronomy Institute of the University of the Highlands and Islands, at their site overlooking Kirkwall Bay.
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