DISCOVER 21 YEARS OF ORKNEY: MEET KES ANDREWS

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!

Kes grew up in Hoy, the most south-westerly of the Orkney Islands, and today lives just a stone’s throw from Highland Park Distillery in Kirkwall. An excitingly creative textile designer, she works from a small studio in her garden and her beautiful fabric designs are inspired by the constantly changing landscapes of Orkney, the natural and built environment here and the strong island community.

Thinking back to her childhood on Hoy, Kes told us: “I remember rummaging about outside, just being in amongst nature and probably spending a lot of days up in Rackwick, on the beach. That’s probably one of my favourite spots. Another favourite location – probably quite secret! – is Candle of the Sale, which feels as if you’ve been transported to somewhere completely different to Orkney.”

Kes’ connection to Orkney is strong. “I want to travel and see lots of different places,” she told us. “But I’d always come back to Orkney because I think it holds something inside of you when you’ve been brought up in a place like this. You just want to come back to it. Orcadians have, I feel, got a kind of mischievous side to them. We all like a bit of fun and I don’t think we take ourselves too seriously – I think everyone realises it’s a better way of life to just have a bit of fun!”