DISCOVER 21 YEARS OF ORKNEY: MEET KEVIN GAULD

To celebrate the launch of Highland Park 21 Year Old 2023 Release, we’ve created a series of short films that capture 21 Years of Orkney through the eyes of three ‘makers’ who live and work in our island home. We asked them about their creative inspiration, their favourite places and – of course – how they best enjoy a dram of Highland Park!

Born and raised in Orkney, Kevin Gauld has been working with wood since his childhood. Known as ‘The Orkney Furniture Maker’, he specialises in creating hand-crafted furniture using traditional techniques and locally sourced materials. From the traditional Orkney Chair to more contemporary designs, each piece in Kevin’s collection is absolutely unique.

Kevin also aims to run a zero-waste business by using sustainable materials and by recycling sawdust and straw. He even grows and harvests his own reeds, right next to his workshop which overlooks picturesque Kirkwall Bay, just five minutes from Highland Park Distillery.

We spent time with Kevin in his studio to watch him at work and understand what 21 Years in Orkney means to him. We asked him about his love for these islands and his memories, and we explored similarities between his own approach to quality craftsmanship and our uncompromising approach to whisky making.

“Orkney is full of creative people, craftspeople and artists. There’s such a diverse range of beautiful things that comes out of Orkney and the standard is so high. I think no matter what’s produced, you’ll find that it’s well made, well crafted and well put together. When you look at this bottle of Highland Park and think how long it’s taken to make, you realise that you can’t rush perfection. It takes a long time to make something and perfect it. My favourite place to have a dram of Highland Park would be with my friends, outside on a lovely evening, sitting, talking about good times and reminiscing.”

When asked to describe the sounds of Orkney, Kevin told us: “The birdsong in the morning or waves crashing on the beach in the afternoon or a pub full of laughter, atmosphere, music and banter in the evening.”