Saxa Vord
The UK's northernmost distillery, on the former RAF Saxa Vord base on Unst — closer to Bergen than to Edinburgh. The family-run Shetland Distillery Company started with Shetland Reel Gin in 2014, which remains its core product — and gin is the only spirit the Unst site has ever distilled. The Shetland Reel single malts are sourced from the mainland (Glenglassaugh), reduced and bottled on Unst; the long-planned £4.5m malt whisky distillery was never funded. Small-scale, family-run, and uniquely remote.
Saxa Vord is a remote-by-design gin distillery on Britain's most northerly inhabited island. Shetland Reel Gin — the operation's first product — has been widely respected since 2014. The 'Shetland Reel' single malts are sourced from Glenglassaugh on the mainland and bottled on Unst rather than distilled there; the planned malt distillery was never funded. Worth visiting for the geography alone.
Visiting Saxa Vord
Contact distillery
Saxa Vord, Haroldswick, Unst, Shetland
ZE2 9EF
- Shop
- Café/Restaurant
- Parking
Core range
Shetland Reel Single Malt (sourced)
Varies by release
Not distilled on Unst — the Shetland Reel single malts are sourced from Glenglassaugh, then reduced and bottled at Saxa Vord. The site itself has only ever distilled gin; the planned malt whisky distillery was never funded.
Character & reputation
Saxa Vord, on the island of Unst on the site of the former RAF Saxa Vord base, is the UK's northernmost distillery and the first legal distillery in Shetland. It is run by the Shetland Distillery Company, a small family-owned venture founded around 2013 whose partners include the experienced industry figure Stuart Nickerson. The business began with Shetland Reel gin in 2014, which remains its core product. Its early 'Shetland' whiskies were malts sourced from the mainland and bottled or finished on Unst, rather than distilled on site, and a long-planned malt whisky distillery had not, on the latest verifiable information, begun production. As a result there is as yet no established house style or single-malt reputation to document.
Getting there
Two ferries from mainland Scotland: Aberdeen-Lerwick overnight, then road north to Yell and Unst with two short island ferries. Or fly Edinburgh/Glasgow/Aberdeen/Inverness to Sumburgh.
Aberdeen–Lerwick ferry (Shetland) — Lands on the Shetland Mainland — Unst is two further short island ferries north via Yell.
Ferry times, fares and booking on TripSCOTWhere to stay near Saxa Vord
The map is centred on Saxa Vord — set your dates on it, or go straight to hotels, B&Bs and self-catering through the providers underneath.
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Location
Saxa Vord, Haroldswick, Unst, Shetland, ZE2 9EF
View on map →Near Saxa Vord
Things to do nearby, from our sister site TripSCOT, which covers the day-out side. Distances are in a straight line from Saxa Vord, not by road.
Frequently asked questions
+Where is Saxa Vord distillery?
Saxa Vord is in the Islands. Postcode ZE2.
+When was Saxa Vord distillery founded?
Saxa Vord was founded in 2014, making it roughly 12 years old.
+Who owns Saxa Vord distillery?
Saxa Vord is owned by Shetland Distillery Company (Stuart and Wilma Nickerson, Anthony and Frieda Leask).
Other Islands distilleries
Highland Park
Orkney’s northernmost Scotch distillery uses heather-infused peat and slow maturation in a famously cold island climate. Balanced, honeyed, lightly smoky.
Talisker
The only distillery on Skye for most of its history, sitting on the shore of Loch Harport in Carbost. Talisker 10 is one of the most instantly recognisable Scotch profiles — peppery, maritime, gently smoked — and the distillery is a near-compulsory stop for any Skye road trip.
Isle of Raasay
The first legal distillery on the small Inner Hebridean island of Raasay, just off Skye's east coast. Produces both lightly peated and unpeated spirit side-by-side and vats them; the visitor centre doubles as a boutique hotel for overnight stays.
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