Scapa has undergone something of a rebirth in recent years. With new official expressions given fresh marketing weight and wider promotion, they have found deep favour with many people who want soft, fresh, flavoursome malt whisky without too many hulking big smoky/peaty notes. It has long been available as a single malt but for many years operated in the shadow of famous neighbour Highland Park. It seems that some of HP's fame and good fortune is beginning to rub off on its more delicate chum.

Scapa is a curious distillery in terms of the usual modernising changes that most distilleries underwent from the late fifties to the early seventies. Scapa was already using steam and anti-collapse valves when Alfred Barnard visited the distillery in 1886 (one year after it was founded). So changes in the distillate are down to more tertiary influences such as yeast strains, barley varieties and the fluctuations of staff, process and production cycles.