New products from Orkney

The Creative Orkney Trail showcases our craft makers and the incredible range of talent found across the islands. Meanwhile, Orkney’s innovative food and drink producers make sure local shelves, restaurants and bars are well-stocked with the finest local delicacies.

And amongst it all, they still find time to create new pieces and products for islanders and visitors to enjoy.

We’ve highlighted some of our favourite new items from our Creative Orkney and Taste of Orkney members that are available to buy locally and online now.

Orkney’s rich archaeology continues to inspire Harray-based woodturner, Michael Sinclair. He has created these beautiful ‘thumb’ pots from English boxwood, decorating them with Neolithic-influenced patterns using hand-applied pyrography. Miniature pots in a similar style have been found at the nearby Ness of Brodgar dig over the years and feature in the new book focused on the excavation, ‘Ness of Brodgar: Past, Present & Future’.

Known for its award-winning range of gins, the Orkney Distillery has begun branching out into other spirits with the launch of its first whisky. Fara is a blended malt Scotch whisky and is billed as an introduction to the distillery’s own Single Malt, which is currently maturing at its harbour-side base in Kirkwall. Fara itself has been matured in selected casks and is a non-chill filtered, unpeated dram.

June so far has been relatively unspectacular weather-wise, so Stronsay jewellery designer Marion Miller has been looking back to the Orkney spring for inspiration. Her new pendants feature the colours of springtime and the brightness of Orkney’s sea and sky as the seasons change. The silver pieces come in two shades of turquoise, reflecting some of the shallow bays found in Marion’s home island.

It has been a busy few months at the island home of J. Gow Rum, Orkney’s rum distillery. With a warehouse extension complete and casks of rum maturing away in the background, the team has also found time to carry out a rebrand of its labelling and bottles, with the new designs set to be unveiled over the coming weeks. These fun metal pin badges are just one of the items on offer in the online shop at the moment. You can pick them up in silver and teal with the J. Gow ship logo, or in gold with the Fading Light Rum lantern design.

You’re always guaranteed something special when you buy a piece from an Orkney jeweller. Local designer Alison Moore has gone one step further however, offering one-off rings, earrings, pendants and more. Her one-of-a-kind collection is full of beautiful items, with each piece completely unique. They all differ in shape, colour, or cut, and are individually hand-crafted at Alison’s stunning studio and shop in Stromness.

The Orkney Folk Festival might be over for another year, but you can still sample a taste of the weekend with a can or two of its unofficial beer. Originally brewed annually for the popular event, Swannay Brewery’s Orkney Session is a classic session beer, coming in at 3.8% - perfect for enjoying during a tune or two. Freshly brewed cans are available to buy online from the Swannay Brewery website, or you could try some as part of Swannay’s famous ‘Peedie Taster Box’, which includes a range of other beers from the brewery.

One of Sheila Fleet’s most loved designs, the Pentland Pendant Necklace, is now available in new enamel colourways. Inspired by the wild waters of the Pentland Firth, which separates Orkney from the north of Scotland, the design captures the drama, movements, and motions of the waves. There are now seven new colours within the range, from an ombre of blue and green in Meadow, to a pop of red in Flame.

Although technically not a new product, Highland Park does have two special new whisky experiences on offer for locals and visitors to Orkney this summer. With the distillery on the outskirts of Kirkwall closed until the end of the year for environmental sustainability upgrades, whisky-tasting events are currently being held at the Highland Park Store in the centre of town. Two new bespoke experiences are available – the Peedie Experience is an introduction to Highland Park and its whisky, with a taster or two on offer. The Taste of Orkney Experience lets participants delve deeper into the Highland Park story and concludes with a guided tasting of prestige and limited-edition whiskies.

Browse delicious products from Orkney's food and drink producers and handmade jewellery, furniture, textiles, and more from our Creative Orkney community.