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Things to do in Kirkwall
Highland Park Distillery

Highland Park Distillery, Kirkwall: Hours, Address, Highland Park Distillery Reviews: 4.5/5

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Highland Park Distillery

See all things to do
See all things to do
Highland Park Distillery
4.5
559
#5 of 25 things to do in Kirkwall
Distilleries • Breweries
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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About
Home of our award-winning single malt Scotch whisky, made in a traditional way by modern-day Vikings. Explore the stories behind our 18th century distillery in Kirkwall, founded by Magnus Eunson - a direct descendant of the Vikings who first made their home on Orkney over 1,000 years ago. We offer 4 different tours to cater for every interest and every budget - from a short visit to our working distillery with a dram or two in our visitor centre to an in-depth exploration of our whisky's birthplace and the opportunity to taste some of our finest, aged expressions. Advanced booking is required.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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Popular mentions
4.5
559 reviews
Excellent
402
Very good
102
Average
23
Poor
16
Terrible
16
LM L
Trenton, NJ10 contributions
Fantastic whisky tour
Sep 2021 • Couples
Enjoyed touring the distilleries site, followed by a seated tasting of their 4 Norse whisky (Thor, Loki, Freya, Odin). Friendly tour guide and excellent whisky tasting.
Written 17 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Chris C
London, UK16 contributions
Underwhelming
Aug 2021
As a fan of Highland Park whiskies for close to 30 years I was very excited to be visiting. Sadly though, it was all a bit disappointing and underwhelming. Firstly, we received a very lukewarm welcome and having travelled a long way we expected someone to be happy to see us! Secondly, our guide John (perhaps having an off-day?) didn’t really engage with us and understand that as experienced distillery visitors, we wanted him to share some of his knowledge and expertise. Instead, he gave a basic tour which felt quite scripted and he didn’t seem all that interested. All in all, it was not worth the £120 that we spent on the tour. I will continue to enjoy some of the whisky that comes from this great distillery but please note that there are much better (and cheaper) tours available on the mainland.
Written 16 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Cameron W
11 contributions
First whisky tour
Aug 2021 • Family
This was my first whisky tour, so I chose the £30 tour. I had a lot of questions, which my tour guid Rupert was able to answer. His tour was detailed and concise, I would higly recommend him. He also had a lot of experience with whiskey, so when it came to doing the tasting he was able to give a clear explanation on how to noseing and tasting the whisky. They also had a wide range of whiskey and appeal to choose in the shop, including duty-free whisky which came back because of covid, but there weren't many dmaller bottles like 35cl or 5cl. I will definitely be returning next time I come back to orkney
Written 16 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Avidpremierusers65
Tewkesbury, UK17 contributions
Okay not a lot was happening due to the distillery being not operational so okay .
Aug 2021 • Couples
The tour was well informed by our guide Rupert, but unfortunately the distillery was not operational at this time until September.

I felt the tour price of £30.00 each was extortionate. Maybe £15.00 as I know it includes three tastes of whisky and a glass. If I had known as when I booked I said 2 people and only heard £30.00.

Maybe for that amount we should expect more. I think this should be reviewed. I do take partial blame for not hearing the true amount.
Another well known distillery in Scotland was less than half that price.
Written 13 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Mick R
Ayr, UK446 contributions
Interesting tour with excellent guide.
Jun 2021 • Friends
Great tour with lovely guide. Despite booking our tour at 4pm on Sunday afternoon we were made welcome and given a tour of the distillery which does things in a traditional way. Our lady guide answered all our questions and we sat for a while learning more about whisky making without feeling under any pressure to purchase any goods. Naturally I left with a bottle !
Written 24 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Erling
3 contributions
Great whisky, Great guide
Jul 2021 • Couples
We had a brilliant tour (Viking honour) with a fantastic guide Keith. He’s really knowledgeable, friendly and a good story teller too! I’d thoroughly recommend it and obviously the whisky is great too!
Written 19 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Jim
Glasgow, UK4 contributions
One for the road
Apr 2021 • Family
This was an excellent tour by by our knowledgeable guide Keith. He made us fell very welcome at the start and answered any questions we had.

Ended the tour in the private room which is usually held for the more expensive tour.

Had our drams and bought a few goodies from the on-site-shop. Even if you don’t like whiskey or are the driver, you get to put it in little bottles to take home.
Written 29 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
HP_Distillery
Thank you so much for visiting our distillery and leaving a great review. We're glad you enjoyed your tour with Keith!
Written 31 May 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Lauren K
Bristol, England, United Kingdom22 contributions
Keith is a charming tour guide for an excellent Distillery
May 2021 • Couples
We did the Honour and Pride Tour on Thursday 7th May and absolutely loved it. Our tour guide was called Keith and he was exceptional. It was so nice being the only two people on the tour with Keith and he explained the distilling process so thoroughly and answered our questions. The whole tour was fascinating and it was my first look inside a Distillery. The tour ended with a visit to the VIP room to nose our drams (we couldn't really drink them as we had requested they be bottled up as I was driving). The VIP room was really something, made all the better by Keith's tips for drinking Whisky and good humour. I recommend this tour whole heartedly - we loved every second of it!
Written 9 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
HP_Distillery
Thank you so much for visiting our distillery and leaving a great review. We're delighted Keith gave you such an enjoyable tour!
Written 31 May 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Sarah P
Norwich, UK254 contributions
Great tour with Sergio!
Mar 2021 • Friends
We had a lovely tour on a rainy day with Sergio. Really engaging and so interesting. Definitely worth it if you’re visiting Kirkwall.
Written 27 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
HP_Distillery
Thank you so much for visiting our distillery and leaving a great review. We're glad Sergio provided a great tour and got you out of the rain for a few hours!
Written 31 May 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Lynda223w
Scotland, UK5 contributions
Great place to visit.
Dec 2020
Just wanted to say a huge thank you for the tour of Highland Park my son and I did yesterday (Wednesday 30/12) at 2pm. I'm not sure of the guide's name, but he was superb. The smaller group size meant we could all have a wee bit more time to chat too. It was great to visit the VIP are too.
Written 31 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
HP_Distillery
Thank you so much for leaving a great review, we're delighted your son enjoyed his tour!
Written 31 May 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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