Distillery Outraged by Food Safety Authority Warning: 'Do Not Drink This'

Thursday, 18 December 2025 at 07:01Spirits Business

Every whisky in a bottle is the result of hard work and years of maturation. But sometimes something comes along that can suddenly throw a wrench in the works for distilleries. That’s exactly what happened with a warning from the Scottish food authority that Kimbland Distillery is not happy about, according to The Spirits Business.

FAQ

What is the FSS?
The Scottish counterpart to the Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority
Why was Kimbland Distillery’s drink recalled?
It was reportedly not bottled and produced in line with safety regulations.
Where is Kimbland Distillery located?
On Orkney.

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) is Scotland’s version of the food and consumer safety authority. The agency oversees food safety and the safety of drinks like whisky. Its advisories are therefore taken very seriously by consumers.

One of the recent advisories concerns a new Scotch whisky. According to the FSS, it was neither produced nor sold in compliance with the required safety measures.

Stuart McAdam, head of incidents at the FSS, states that a warning has been issued advising consumers not to drink it.

“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.”

- Stuart McAdam

According to FSS, the products include the new make spirit, Sanday Tempest Gin 700 ml, Sanday Sunset Gin 700 ml, Sanday No.1 Gin 700 ml, and all filled casks and barrels from the Kimbland distillery.

They say no evidence has been provided to show that these products meet the applicable safety standards, which means there could be a potential health risk.

Devastating news for the distillery

Sebastian Hadfield-Hyde, the distillery’s founder, is far from pleased with the advisory. The distillery was founded in 2000 and officially hasn’t released a whisky yet, but does produce gin. With a single notice, the FSS has shattered both sales and consumer confidence in the distillery.

BBC reports that the founder is angry and shaken by the warning. He says he has sold hundreds of bottles of gin over the past five years, but that his premises have been a construction site for the last year and a half.

During that period, he claims he did not produce or sell any spirits, either to local wholesalers or via his website.

Despite the distillery’s efforts to keep sales going, authorities have already been instructed to recall the distillery’s products.