Distillery Tours - Frequently Asked Questions
Visits - Frequently Asked Questions
KIRKWALL STORE
What time will the store be open?
The store will be open Monday to Saturday between 10.00am and 5.00pm each day.
Can I sample whisky in the store?
No, unfortunately we are not able to offer whisky samples at this time.
Can I try clothes on in the store?
Yes, this will be possible.
DISTILLERY VISITOR CENTRE AND TOURS
We are open for pre-booked tours Monday to Sunday, 10.00am – 5.00pm (April 1st – October 30th) and Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00am – 5:00pm (November 1st – March 31st).
What kinds of tours are available and how can they be booked?
We are currently offering five different types of tours:
- The Spirit of Orkney Experience
- A Wild Harmony Experience
- Orcadian Vintages Experience
- Rare and Exclusive Experience
Do I have to book in advance?
Yes, all tours will need to be booked in advance. We accept all major credit cards including American Express.
I have an existing tour booking. What should I do?
Please email us at [email protected] and we will get back you.
Will I still be able to sample whiskies as part of the tours?
Yes - we offer you the chance to sample our whiskies as part of each of the tours. The specific whiskies and the number of samples varies depending on the tour.
How many people can join each tour?
We welcome a maximum of 10 guests on our Spirit of Orkney and A Wild Harmony. A maximum of 5 guests are welcome on our Orcadian Vintages Experience and 4 on our Rare and Exclusive Experience. All experiences will be accompanied by a tour guide.
What should I wear when visiting the distillery? You’ll be visiting a real working distillery that is over 220 years old so we would suggest wearing sensible footwear and comfortable, layered clothing suitable for the contrasts in weather we experience in Orkney.
Card payment
We now only accept card payment at the distillery for pre-booked tours and purchases. We accept all major credit cards including American Express.
Can I bring children?
All of our tours are strictly for over 18s only.
What if I need to change my tour booking?
To change the date or time of your tour booking, email us at [email protected] or call us on +44(0) 1856 885604. We’ll do our best to accommodate changes up until 24 hours before your original booking time, although we’re unable to guarantee availability.
VISITING THE DISTILERY FOR YOUR TOUR
How do I get to the Distillery Visitor Centre?
You’ll find our address details with a link to a map here. If you’re taking part in the A Wild Harmony Experience, Norse Legends Experience, Orcadian Vintages Experience or Rare and Exclusive Experience, we can offer you transport from St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall to the distillery and back, free of charge. We do need to know in advance, so let us know when you book your tour if you’d like us to pick you up on the day.
How do I get to the Distillery Visitor Centre?
The Visitor Centre is on the X1 route from St Margaret’s Hope and Stromness and the stop is between the Balfour Hospital and St Mary’s village. You can find details of bus times here
I’m travelling by bike – is the Distillery Visitor Centre on a cycle route?
You can find details of cycle routes around Orkney here
Are there bicycle racks at the distillery?
Although we don’t have publicly available bicycle racks, we have plenty of space for people to leave their bikes in the car park.
Yes! We have two car parks at the site with a total of 28 spaces plus 2 accessible parking spaces.
What happens when I arrive for my tour?
We’ll meet all our visitors at the Highland Park gates for a warm welcome.
What if I’m late for my tour?
If you arrive late, and your tour has already started, we’ll do our best to accommodate you on the next available tour if we can. However, as tours have limited spaces we’re unable to guarantee that there will be spaces available.
Can I bring my dog?
Assistance dogs are very welcome at the distillery. Unfortunately, no other animals or pets are allowed.
I have mobility issues. Are your tours suitable for me?
We have access for wheelchair users to most areas of the distillery that form a regular part of our tours. If you have specific mobility access requirements, please let us know in advance of booking so that we can discuss these with you.
Can I take photographs?
Yes! You’re welcome to take photographs almost everywhere in the distillery, except in the still house and the warehouse, although flash photography is not allowed in any area. Filming is only permitted if you’ve made prior arrangements with us and provided the relevant compliance and insurance documents.
Is there a café at the Distillery Visitor Centre?
No, we don’t provide refreshments at the Visitor Centre (except whisky!). However, you’ll find a wide range of cafés, restaurants and pubs in Kirkwall, so you won’t go hungry.
Are there any exclusive whiskies available to purchase only at the Distillery Visitor Centre that I can buy during my visit?
If you’re taking part in a A Wild Harmony Experience, Orcadian Vintages Experience or Rare and Exclusive Experience, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase an exclusive single cask bottling at the end of your tour (subject to availability).
In addition, we regularly release special editions which are available to purchase exclusively at the Visitor Centre, our Kirkwall Store and in our online shop. You can browse our selection of whiskies available to purchase online here
I’d like to share feedback on my experience at the distillery. How do I do that?
We hope you enjoy visiting Highland Park, and we’d love to hear your feedback. Your tour guide will be pleased to receive your comments after your tour, or if you’d like to share more detailed feedback with us, you can contact us on [email protected] If you’d like to tell others about your visit, a review on TripAdvisor would be much appreciated.
How can I find out the latest news on Highland Park?
Be among the first to hear the latest news on Highland Park by joining our Inner Circle newsletter. Join our Inner Circle by entering your details here
Or keep in touch with us on our social media channels:
FULL DISTILLERY TOUR TERMS & CONDITIONS
BOOKING A DISTILLERY TOUR
Tours of Highland Park Distillery take place at the Distillery site at Holm Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1SU (the “Distillery”), and are provided by Highland Distillers Limited (“we” or “the company”). Highland Distillers Limited is incorporated in Scotland (Registered No. SC158731, with its registered office at 100 Queen Street, Glasgow, G1 3DN.
The following Terms and Conditions (the “Terms”), as well as any information contained in the booking form, booking confirmation or email provided to you, apply to all Tour bookings.
On booking or purchase of a Distillery Tour, whether online, by email or phone, you agree to abide by the Terms outlined below.
We will endeavour to ensure that the information displayed on the website https://www.highlandparkwhisky.com is current and accurate. However, we cannot be held liable for any errors. Use of the website is subject to separate Terms of Use available here; however, in the case of conflict, these Terms shall apply to online bookings of Tours.
Once full payment is made, you will be allocated a place/places on your chosen Tour, and a booking confirmation will be emailed to you.
We accept no responsibility if you incorrectly input an email address on our booking form. If your automatically generated booking confirmation does not arrive via email, please firstly check your junk/spam folder then contact us via email at [email protected] . We will check the email address and resend your booking confirmation(s).
Upon receipt of the booking confirmation email, it is your responsibility to check the accuracy of dates booked.
PRICING
Tour prices include an alcoholic beverage (more than one for some tours) for visitors over 18 years old.
We reserve the right to amend the price of our Tours at any time.
ADMISSIONS POLICY
If you have booked in advance, the date and time of your Tour will be clearly stated on your email confirmation. Please arrive at your tour time and wait at the distillery gates for your tour guide to welcome you.
We reserve the right to remove anyone from the Distillery if their behaviour is considered likely to cause offence, put staff or other visitors at risk or create a nuisance to other visitors or staff.
We reserve the right to refuse admission to the Distillery.
The Distillery is a controlled working and manufacturing environment. It’s important that you exercise due care and attention on the tour. Our team may draw your attention to certain health & safety procedures, which we require all visitors to adhere to:
- Smoking or vaping is not permitted in any area of the distillery
- Assistance dogs are welcome. Unfortunately no other animals or pets are allowed
- Visitors are not permitted to access areas of the distillery other than those designated for visitor access
- If the fire alarm sounds during your tour, your guide will direct you to the nearest exit
We operate a Challenge 25 policy. Visitors may be subject to an age check on arrival at the Distillery, and are advised to bring photo identification (“ID”) to the Distillery. If we believe or suspect a visitor who wishes to consume alcohol is under 25, that visitor will be asked to produce photo ID. In the event that you are unable to produce valid photo ID, you will not be served alcohol as part of the Tour and we regret that no refunds can be given.
CANCELLATIONS AND AMENDMENTS
If we need to cancel your Tour for any reason, we will try to give you as much notice as possible of cancellation, and you will be entitled to a full refund.
On certain days, or at certain times, some parts of the Distillery may be closed (e.g. for cleaning, maintenance, or for other operational reasons). The Distillery may not be fully operational during silent season although Tours will still be in operation. Bookings will not be refunded and no compensation will be paid for Tours during this time.
OUR LIABILITY TO YOU
If you suffer losses as a result of a breach by us of these Terms, our liability is strictly limited to the purchase price of the Tour. We are not responsible for any loss of profit, loss of business, loss of goodwill, or any indirect, special or consequential loss, damage, costs, expenses or other claims which arise in connection with the Tour.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in these Terms limits in any way our liability:
For death or personal injury caused by our negligence;
Under section 2(3) of the Consumer Protection Act 1987;
For fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or
For any matter which cannot be excluded by law.
We will not be liable or responsible for any failure to perform, or delay in performance of, any of our obligations under these terms and conditions that is caused by events outside our reasonable control (“Force Majeure Event”). Our performance under these terms and conditions is deemed to be suspended for the period that the Force Majeure Event continues, and we will have an extension of time for performance for the duration of that period. We will use our reasonable endeavours to bring the Force Majeure Event to a close or to find a solution by which our obligations under these terms and conditions may be performed despite the Force Majeure Event.
YOUR PRIVACY
Any personal data which you provide us as part of the booking and attending the Tour will be treated securely and confidentially. We recommend that you review our Privacy Policy for further information about how Highland Park processes personal data, and your rights in relation to your own personal data.
FEEDBACK
We welcome feedback, and our guides will be happy to receive your comments following your tour. If you prefer to give us feedback in writing, please contact us at [email protected] and we’ll reply within 3 working days.
GENERAL
We reserve the right to refuse to accept a booking for any reason.
If any provision of these Terms is held by any competent authority to be invalid or unenforceable in whole or in part, the validity of the other provisions of these Terms and the remainder of the provision in question will not be affected.
These Terms and any document expressly referred to in them constitute the whole agreement between you and us and supersede any previous arrangement, understanding or agreement between you and us relating to the subject matter of these Terms.
Any contract between you and us pursuant to these Terms will be binding on you and us and on our respective successors and assigns.
You may not transfer, assign, charge, sub-contract or otherwise dispose of any such contract, or any of your rights or obligations arising under such a contract, without our prior written consent.
These terms and conditions are governed by and construed in accordance with the Laws of Scotland, and the parties agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Scotland.