North Point Distillery

North Point is a small organic distillery at Forss, around six miles north-west of Thurso on the A836 toward Reay. The operation is family-run, certified organic, and committed to a low-input production model that takes a meaningful proportion of its botanicals off the cliffs and dunes of the surrounding Caithness coast, sea buckthorn, juniper, hawthorn, gorse and several seaweed species, foraged within walking distance of the still. The range covers a flagship gin, a vodka, a series of seasonal botanical spirits and a small set of cask experiments.

The visitor route runs through the still-house, the production area and the on-site shop. The tour is led by one of the family, substantive on the technical process rather than a marketing walk-around, and finishes with a tasting flight at the back of the shop. Slots are seasonal and book ahead through the NC500 summer; the shop alone is walk-in.

North Point sits in a growing cluster of Caithness distillers. Dunnet Bay Distillers a few miles east at Dunnet make the better-known Rock Rose gin and Holy Grass vodka; Old Pulteney in Wick is the established single-malt name in the county. North Point is the most directly visitor-facing of the three for tours and on-site retail.

Tour times, tasting flights and current bottle range at the North Point Distillery website.