Caithness and Sutherland food and drink firms 'barnstorming' on a global level
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Three Caithness and Sutherland businesses have been shortlisted in this year's Highlands and Islands Food and Drink Awards after a record number of entries.
Judges revealed the finalists from across the region in the 15 award categories which highlight the very best from the industry in the north of Scotland.
Among those who will be invited to attend the awards ceremony in October are North Point Distillery at Thurso, Dunnet Bay Distillers in Castletown and The Pier in Lairg.
Ciara Bow of Gledfield Distillery in Ardgay was also shortlisted for the Young Ambassador of the Year category.
Dunnet Bay Distillers was shortlisted in two categories, Best Food & Drink Tourism Experience and Best Drink for its Mapmaker's Coastal Spiced Rum.
Joanne Howdle, interpretation and engagement manager, said: "Dunnet Bay Distillers are delighted to have been selected as finalists in the Highlands and Islands Food and Drink Awards categories of Best Drink for our Mapmaker's Coastal Spiced Rum and Best Visitor Experience.
"Our visitor centre team consistently deliver high-quality experiences for a wide range of audiences which have been recognised as being in the top 10 per cent of visitor experiences annually since 2018 through our 5-Star VisitScotland attraction grading and TripAdvisor Travellers Choice Award.
"Our Mapmaker’s Rum is a great recognition of the innovation and creativity of our distillers in the development of an exceptional new spirit which is a tribute to Timothy Pont, a remarkable man, and his incalculable contribution to the cartographic history of Scotland. Pont, who spent his summers diligently surveying Scotland, was in 1600/1601 appointed Minister of Dunnet Parish Church, a post he still held in December 1610.
"The label on the front of our Coastal Spiced Rum features Timothy Pont’s map of the north of Scotland and is flavoured with Caithness coastal botanicals including scurvy grass and sea kelp."
North Point Distillery was recognised in the Sustainability category, while The Pier is a finalist for the Best Eatery award.
Alex MacDonald, chief operating officer at North Point Distillery, said the company had started out in 2020 with the aim of being as sustainable as possible throughout the production process.
"We have electrically-run stills, our bottles are 100 per cent recycled, also the corks. It always helps that our distillery is on a renewable wind energy site as well," he said.
"But we're not resting on our laurels here, we're always trying to push forward and we have an anaerobic digestion plant that processes waste into bio-gas on site, and in the next year we're going to be taking that bio-gas and turning it into a closed-loop system for steam-generation for the larger stills that we hope to be bringing."
He added: "What's really nice to see is all these amazing companies within the food and drink sector, specifically the drinks sector in Caithness, which has just been barnstorming of late on a global level, and it has been really nice to see that growth in the last three years in the area."
The Pier said on social media that is was delighted to be in the running for Best Eatery award and that is was "testament to our fantastic team who work tirelessly to bring it all together".
Elaine Jamieson of Highlands and Islands Enterprise, chairwoman of the judging panel, said: “Food and drink in the Highlands and Islands is truly exceptional – from street food and start ups to established producers, our region has a world-class reputation. And these finalists demonstrate this.
"With a record number of entries for 2023, our panel of expert judges had their work cut out. The calibre of entries was outstanding and our chosen finalists represent the very best within the food and drink industry in the Highlands and Islands.
“We look forward to announcing the winners at the awards ceremony in October and reconnecting with our friends and colleagues in the industry.”
The awards ceremony takes place at Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness, on Friday, October 27.
