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Scotland’s most northerly mainland distillery, 8 Doors Distillery, was officially opened by His Majesty on Wednesday 2 August, during The King’s visit to John O’Groats.
Upon arriving at the distillery, His Majesty toured the visitor center, distillery and warehouse, meeting with a number of the team and finding out more about 8 Doors Distillery, alongside the whisky and liqueur it produces, before unveiling an official welcome plaque.
On visiting the warehouse His Majesty was invited to fill an American Oak, Pedro Ximinez Hogshead cask, before sampling the new make spirit, which captures the essence of the profile of the single malt whisky being produced at 8 Doors Distillery.
Kerry Campbell, co-founder of 8 Doors Distillery, said, “We were honored to welcome The King to 8 Doors Distillery and thoroughly enjoyed sharing our story and what makes our distillery so unique with him, as well as offering him the opportunity to fill a cask in our warehouse. Throughout his visit he had the opportunity to meet many of our team, from those working in our distillation team through to our retail and distillery lounge staff, all of whom embody our passion for both the whisky industry and the local area.”
Producing ‘Whisky. From the edge.’, 8 Doors Distillery is greatly influenced by the unique, dramatic, landscape of the rugged coastal highland area it calls home, with its Scotch whisky the first to be produced in John O’Groats since 1837.
The brainchild of local Caithness husband and wife team, Derek and Kerry Campbell, the micro-distillery, visitor center and dunnage-style bonded warehouse is steeped in the rich heritage of the area. The distillery and visitor center has been designed to showcase the two copper stills and traditional whisky making process, while making the most of the fantastic views across the Pentland Firth, through large glass windows placed along the front of the building.
