There’s no such thing as bad whisky, right?
Unfortunately, spirits made at a new distillery on Orkney may have recently fallen into a ‘literally undrinkable’ category of drinks.
Food Standards Scotland (FSS) have issued an urgent ‘do not drink’ warning for whisky and gin made at the island’s Kimbland Distillery due to potential health risks.
On Thursday 16th December the FSS issued a statement claiming that Kimbland had been producing spirits “without the required safety controls, and has failed to provide evidence that its products meet safety standards.” As such, a “do not consume” warning has been issued for the following products from Kimbland:
New make spirit of whisky (all sizes)
Sanday Tempest Gin 700ml
Sanday Sunset Gin 700ml
Sanday No.1 Gin 700ml
Any filled barrels and casks from the distillery
Stuart McAdam, head of incidents at FSS, commented: “Following close collaboration with the local authority, we are warning consumers not to drink any products from the Kimbland Distillery due to safety concerns.
“As we approach the festive break, we want to make sure that anyone who may have purchased these for themselves or as a gift, knows about the potential risk that these products may pose.”
No further information has been released concerning what the safety standards may have been breached and what any potential health risks are if any of these spirits have been consumed. If you have any concerns, please contact FFS directly.
It is understood that enforcement authorities across Scotland have been directed to identify and contact establishments that may be stocking or serving Kimbland products. Distribution is believed to be largely limited to Orkney, but the business operates an online store and affected stock may have been sold further afield.
Kimbland Distillery was founded in 2020 by Sebastian Hadfield-Hyde. Billed as the world’s first carbon negative distillery, Kimbland started producing and maturing their spirit in 2023.
At the time of writing, Kimbland has not formally responded to the FFS warning. However, Hadfield-Hyde told BBC Orkney that he is “furious and upset” with the news, saying that it came “out of the blue.”
He added: “I've sold hundreds of bottles of gin over the past five years but my premises have been a building site for the last year-and-a-half. I haven't been producing any spirits in that time, or supplying local wholesalers or selling through my website.”
We’ll keep you posted on any updates with this story, so keep an eye on our news feed for future developments.
