A Scotch whiskey distillery called Scapa is located close to the town of Kirkwall on the mainland of Orkney, Scotland. A half-mile (800 meters) south of the Highland Park Distillery, Scapa is Scotland's second-northest whiskey distillery. The distillery was started in 1885 by Glasgow blenders Macfarlane & Townsend. When a fire nearly destroyed the distillery in 1919, adjacent sailors from the remnant Grand Fleet formed a human chain and carried buckets of sea water to put it out. The distillery was purchased and renovated in 1954 by Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd, which is currently a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard. In 1978, the distillery underwent another renovation. The distillery was put on hold in 1994, and employees from the neighbouring Highland Park distillery began carrying out limited production on occasion starting in 1997. When Allied Distillers acquired Hiram Walker in 1987, ownership of the distillery was transferred to them. In 2004, with the facility facing definite closure, the firm made the decision to repair and restore the distillery at a cost of £2.1 million. Pernod Ricard acquired control in 2005, and in October of that year, full production resumed. The distillery's tourist center debuted in 2015.