The tranquil Orkney Islands, with their fertile farming lands and fishing grounds, have been inhabited for over 5000 years. In fact, we're just one mile away from one of the most famous Neolithic settlements in Northern Europe Skara Brae. Our brewhouse was born from our history and traditions. So as you can imagine, we've had a long time to make sure we get it right.Our processes create only the finest hand-crafted ales, using the traditional methods developed and handed down through time. Only the finest ingredients and purest Orcadian water can create these outstanding, full-of-flavour ales. So next time you sip one of our brews, you can be sure it was made with the best malt, hops, yeast, Orcadian water — and a long, long history of making quality ales.First, we select the finest grains of malted British barley, which is crushed in a mill to break apart the kernels. Now known as grist, the crushed malt is dropped into the hopper, where it's mixed with fresh, pure Orcadian water.It's heated in a tun to create the mash. The resulting liquid, or wort, is separated from the grist and drawn off to the copper and boiled. Hops are added at various stages of the boiling the first to give essential resins for bittering, the last to give aroma. Then the used mash has to be cleared out of the tun and that's hot work!Now full of fermentable sugars, the wort goes to the fermentation room, where we add our secret strain of yeast. The liquid is then aerated to boost fermentation. Once that's complete, we fill the casks, ready to distribute nationwide — provided the weather and ferries co-operate. All part of island life!The final product is eventually delivered into the care of local publicans, who present it in tip top condition for customers to enjoy.