We're celebrating coming up top in not one, but two categories in the Great British Food Awards, taking home a gold for our beautiful Aatta Gin in the Classic Gin category, and gold for our Orkney Vodka in the Vodka category.
Here’s what Judge, Merlin Griffiths (from 'First Dates') said about Orkney Vodka,
"From the elegant and stylish bottle, redolent of quality, through to the clean and crisp liquid inside, Orkney Vodka excels. Fresh lemon zest, pink grapefruit and juniper-esque fragrance lead the nose. A silky-smooth mouthfeel delivers liquorice sweetness and pink peppercorn spice. The higher spirit percentage helps carry flavours further making it ideal to bring out the best in your mixers. Superb in a vodka martini too, with a lemon or grapefruit twist. Is it fair to call a vodka satisfying? I think in this case, yes, it is."
Find out more about Orkney Vodka
This stunning clean vodka is distilled an incredible eight times on the small island of Burray, Orkney by Orkney Spirits Limited. You will notice we have also started to use our Official Company Name, 'Orkney Spirits Limited' as well as our Trading Name, 'Orkney Gin Company'. It's a slow move that we hope will get those more familiar with spirits other than gin involved too,
The Orkney Islands are a place of astonishing allure, captivating both locals and those lucky enough to visit with their lush, fertile land and crisp, clean air. Orkney Vodka is based on the beauty of the land, surrounding waters, and air on the islands. This craft vodka is distilled an exceptional eight times using local water, filtered once more for brilliant clarity. Scottish water is known for its purity, with much of the water coming from picturesque lochs on the Orkney Islands.
Each time spirits are distilled, they become lighter and purer. Orkney Spirits Limited’s expressions are some of the purest spirits of their kind made in Scotland. Each extra distillation furthers contact with the copper within the still for exceptional smoothness, clarity, and a uniquely silky texture.
Enjoy ice cold (straight from the freezer) on its own or keep it traditional and enjoy with your favourite mixers and see them elevated by the purity of Orkney Vodka.
A fact you maybe didn't know...
We take our promise of unrivalled quality to the next level. Our Orkney Vodka, Aatta and Orkney Akvavit are all distilled eight times. Most spirits of this kind are only distilled around three or four times. As far as our very extensive research has reached, we have not yet discovered another British spirit of these types distilled as many times as this.
Here’s what Judge Adam Handling thought when he awarded Aatta gold:
Aatta is rich & smooth and very well-balanced. It's juniper-heavy, so would make a nice crisp dry Martini or would be perfect in just a classic Gin & Tonic
More about Aatta Gin
Celebrating the magic of the Orkney Islands, tales of the 'Selkie Folk' (mermaids), and the wild seas, ‘Aatta’ - meaning ‘eight’ in Old Orcadian - is also distilled eight times with eight whole botanicals. This small batch gin is created using hand-picked rose hips from our islands, warming juniper, fresh orange, orris and velvety tonka bean amongst many delights. Aatta gin is also Orkney Spirits Limited’s eighth expression, distilled slowly over a lengthy 24 hours in a 250 litre purpose built intelligent still, in our distillery in Burray, Orkney.
Aatta’s purpose made prism bottle was designed by the family – we believe designing in house resonates the quality and uniqueness of all our spirits. Each bottle is hand-corked using stunning matching prism glass stoppers with a golden 'Selkie Wife' coin inlaid and then hand labelled with award-winning iridescent labels which give the illusion that the mysterious 'Selkie Wife' inside the bottle is dancing and enchanting those who set their eyes on the bottle.
These awards weren't the only ones to vote Aatta on top. It has also received several golds from the London Spirits Competition, The Spirits Business, Gin Cooperative Awards, and was voted the World’s Best Design and Best Bottle in the World Drinks Awards 2022. The beautiful prism gin bottle with detailed glass closure is a showstopper, and the hand-crafted contents are certainly gold standard.
Here's our tasting notes:
Whole Croatian juniper forms a green liveliness, with a bright and silky scent and mouthfeel from the zest and flesh of fresh oranges. Delicate botanical/floral notes from hand-picked rose hips, with the seeds from the insides of the fruit balancing each sip of the spirit - creating rich and complex dimension. A few sticks of cinnamon add an earthy and inviting smoothness with whole Madagascan vanilla and tonka bean completing the spirit in a long and velvety finish.
Aatta is a versatile gin, perfect for favourites like gin and tonic, or to elevate cocktails. Garnish with orange or rosemary for an extra fresh feel.
Both spirits can be found on our website and on other online platforms.