The world's most northerly whisky distillery has been working with agricultural experts to produce a 100% homegrown product. Highland Park has been making malt whisky on the outskirts of Kirkwall in Orkney for more than 200 years. However, at present the distillery has to import its malting barley because the crop is not farmed extensively in the islands. Bosses called in the help of the Agronomy Institute at Orkney College in an effort to find a reliable and local source of malting barley.

Agricultural experts undertook a series of trials to find the right barley to suit the fickle Orkney climate. Dr Peter Martin said: "We found one variety which had a good combination of yield, it was well-adapted to the Orkney season and it was also early. Above all it had very good malting characteristics."

A group of five Orkney farmers have now produced around 100 tonnes of the locally grown barley for the distillery. The barley has been turned into whisky which will now spend the next 12 years ageing in casks before anyone will be able to taste the difference.