Eight Doors
Scotch Single Malt Whisky Library / The Collection > E
8 DOORS the most northerly distillery are building a distillery, visitor centr and warehouse which is due to open in 2021.
Old Door with Large Key
Why 8 Doors Distillery?
Our name is inspired by the legend surrounding Jan De Groot - the man that John O’Groats takes it’s name from. In particular the house he built on the site which is now marked by a mound near the John O’Groats house hotel, a short distance from our distillery.
Jan De Groot, the Dutchman from which John O’Groats takes its name, came to the area during the reign of James IV. He ran the ferry from the Scottish mainland to Orkney for the price of one Groat (around 2p). He had seven sons and legend has it that they were arguing about who should sit at the head of the table during family gatherings.
To avoid family conflict Jan built an octagonal house with each of the eight sides having a separate door and window, one for each of his sons and himself. Each door led to the centre of the house where there was an eight sided table. As no one person could occupy the head of the table this stopped the arguments and gave us a great name for our distillery!