Stop 2 - ISGD2020

My next stop is at Crossbill Distilling in Barras in Glasgow’s East End. Although established in 2006 in Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands, Jonathan Engels relocated his business to Glasgow in 2017, where he now has not only a distillery and shop, but also a popular gin school, where you can make your own gin under his expert guidance.

The Barras market is supported by the Barras Public Realm project which was set up to help breathe new life into the area and benefit the local community, as well as encourage investment in the area, so it’s the perfect location for a distillery and many other businesses, from fruit and veg to antiques, collectables and clothing.

Crossbill is named after the Scottish Crossbill, a small bird which belongs to the finch family and which nests in pines and conifers alongside the juniper which they use. It’s the only bird species which is endemic to the British Isles and it’s believed the population is less than 2000. Their Staghorn Sumac Gin is a collaboration with a New Hampshire forager and also a celebration of the natural habitat of the North American Red Crossbill.

For those who aren’t familiar with sumac, it is traditionally used by American Indians to make pink lemonade but it is also one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory spices available and is packed with antioxidants. Apart from the many medicinal uses, it is also used in Middle Eastern cooking as an ingredient in many spice blends including za’atar.

It’s not often I would say a gin is genuinely good for you, but I would like to think this one is! Crossbill havemade an infusion with sumac, Scottish juniper and rosehip to make a gin which is bursting with spicy, tangy citrus notes. I’ve paired it with a Sparkling Blush Lemonade from Troughton’s (gifted), to make the perfect serve. No artificial sweeteners, flavourings or preservatives are used in their Lemonades and this one also uses raspberries alongside the Sicilian lemons. It’s a small family business and should you come across them, do show some support and give them a try as they are delicious.

Stop 3 – ISGD2020

Today I’m off to the Scottish Hebridean Isle of Islay, which you probably recognise as being the home of Botanist Gin. The Bruichladdich Distillery is located on the southwestern tip of the islandand produces several whiskies, as well as gin. The business had its ups and downs but was bought by Rémy Cointreauin 2012 and since then Botanist Gin has become a household name, with it reaching almost top of the list of super premium gins a few years ago.

However, it’s not the only gin made on Islay. Islay Gin is a private and family-owned business, which is dedicated to producing Nerabus Gin, which is named after the hamlet where the business is based, which is also known for it’s wildheather and deer.

The founders, Dr John Gow, previously a biomedical/forensic scientist and his wife, Dr Audrey Gow, who also worked in the spirits industry, have used their wealth of experience and knowledge to produce Nerabus in their micro-distillery. The gin is hand-crafted with Islay water and infused with the local wild heather. It’s a delicate gin, so best paired with an aromatic or mediterranean tonic and slice of lime, but I have served up a Bees Knees, using Scottish Heather Honey.

If you have followed my virtual tours, you know what’s coming next! Yep, folklore which made me smile and thankfully at present I have no need to test it out! This one is about the Toothache Stone, which can be found in a glen just outside Port Charlotte and is the shape of a molar. In days gone by,anyone with toothache would head to this stone with a pocketful of nails and a hammer and bash those nails into the stone until their toothache was cured! I’m not sure how successful that was, but perhaps a few misplaced bashes may have distracted the pain to a bruised thumb! Should you ever be in Islay, see if you can find the stone, as apparently it’s full of iron and copper nails which have been driven deep into it!

Stop 4 – ISGD2020

Today I’m taking a 5 minute ferry across the Sound of Islay to Jura. In contrast to Islay’s population of around 3000, its fertile land and 8 whisky distilleries, Jura is mountainous, remote and an untamed bogland, with a small population of around 200, who are outnumbered by the 6000 wild red deer who roam the island.

There’s not much on Jura other than nature doing its best at being wild, but the businesses or services which are available are all the residents need. Jura’s most famous resident, George Orwell described it as extremely unget-at-able, with the direct ferry to the mainland only running in the summer months and crossings affected by adverse weather. Even the island of Scarba to its north requires crossing the Gulf of Corryvreckan, infamous for it’s dangerous whirlpool at certain states of the tide. Orwell lived intermittently on Jura from 1946 when he was ill with TB and between 1947-8 completed his novel, 1984, while living at Barnhill and he was known to locals by his real name Eric Blair. Barnhill remains as a shrine to Orwell, with the owners having retained the original look and feel of the house – should you wish to stay there while you visit, be prepared for rustic!

Jura however has another claim to fame as it’s where the 80s band KLF burned £1m! Jimmy Cauty and Bill Drummond were not averse to a publicity stunt and when they retired from the music industry in 1994, they had £1m left from royalties. Wanting to do “something interesting” with it, they decided to return to Jura, where they had hosted previously hosted a midsummer rave and have a £1m bonfire! Yes, they did burn the banknotes!

Now believe it or not, this does actually link with Lussa Gin, as one of the distillers, Claire, worked for Radio 1 and back in 1991 she was one of the music journalists who travelled to Jura to film KLF’s rave. Claire met her husband on this trip and as they say, the rest is history! Fast forward to 2015 when Claire, Georgina and Alicia, who all live in Ardlussa, set about building a distillery! Using their skills and knowledge of local botanicals, which they grow or forage, they have created a gin which embodies everything they know and love about Jura.  I've reviewed this before so won't go into too much detail, but it certainly does embody everything that Jura has to offer and it makes a cracking martini!

However, I thought a Burnt Martini was the most appropriate cocktail for this story – 60ml Lussa gin, 20ml Vermouth, 10ml Whisky. Do give this one a try as it's a bit moreish!

Stop 5 – ISGD2020

Sail away, sail away, sail away….. Yes, Tiree is mentioned in the lyrics to Orinoco Flow by Enya!  Well done to those who guessed correctly in my stories.

The island has a small population of around 650, with the main employment being crofting, tourism and fishing. The soil is fertile, summers are sunny and it’s a windsurfer’s paradise.

On some Hebridean islands you can still see evidence of runrigs – narrow strips of commonly farmed land that were run by the clan chiefs and which pre-dated the crofting system, implemented during the Highland Clearances (1750-1860). Around this time about 68 families owned nearly half the land in Scotland and these landlords needed cash to maintain their status in London society. The Clearances allowed the landlords to renege on the longstanding arrangement with clans, and tenants were evicted so that the lands could be used to generate income from sheep farming.

John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll also implemented these land management changes in Tiree under the pretence of them being improvements. The crofts were deliberately made small and the farmers were unable to support their families and thus forced to supplement their income kelp farming or fishing. By early 19th century the Duke’s rental income had more than tripled. There was discontent countrywide and farmers emigrated in droves to find better opportunities abroad. To stall this, a “humanitarian” act was passed, which limited the number of passengers on ships, resulting in the fares becoming unaffordable for most. Landowners could then continue to exploit tenants who were unable to afford to seek a better life for themselves abroad and this further broke down relationships and caused distrust and unrest.

Campbell had contempt for his crofters, calling them worthless, idle and delinquent and he fought to maintain social order and improvement on Tiree. One of the things he clamped down on was legal and illicit whisky distilling. Making whisky from their limited resources of barley gave the crofters a higher return than just selling it and it paid their rent, so they didn’t have to work for him and he lost income, so he set about removing anyone found guilty of distilling from the island and actually banned it.

In 2019 Ian Smith and his co-founder Alain Campbell, revived this lost tradition by bringing distilling back to Tiree and the Tiree Whisky Company is the first legal distillery on the island since 1802.  Tyree Gin uses many local botanicals, including kelp to create a gin which reflects it's terroir and the founders hope that this will raise the island's profile nationally and internationally and as a result benefit the the local economy and residents.

Today’s cocktail is a Suffering Bastard: 25ml Tyree Gin, 25ml single malt whisky, 25ml lime juice, dash of bitters and topped with ginger ale.

Stop 6 – ISGD2020

#virtualscottishgintour

Today’s stop is back on the mainland do to some stargazing! The star Arcturus is one of the brightest stars that can be seen from Earth and is in the constellation of Boötes. It is related to the stag and legend says that when it’s at its brightest, the stags and hinds will be most compatible. The best places to stargaze are away from big cities where there is light pollution and so this stop is at The Torridon Resort in the North West Highlands, a beautiful complex set in 58 acres of parkland alongside a sea loch.

Arcturus Gin was launched in 2017 and is a tribute to their location and also the red deer which roam the estate. It is currently contract distilled at Dunnet Bay Distillery, using local highland botanicals foraged or grown on the Torridon Estate. They use botanicals which reflect the landscape and which include Scots Lovage, Bilberries, Rowanberries and Kelp.

The hotel and estate is beautiful, so do pop over to their page and website and have a look around. It looks like the perfect place for a long weekend or short break or even just a stop for afternoon tea.

I thought I would try something a little different and have made a Blue Negroni, which represents the night sky and in turn, Arcturus.

50ml Arcturus Gin, 50ml Bitter Bianco, 50ml Fino, 10ml Blue Curacao, 10ml Cranberry Juice. Garnished with an Orange Rose.

Stop 7 – ISGD2020

The virtual tour continues and I’ve headed north to Dunnet Bay, another stunning destination for a short break or stop before John O’Groats.

John O’Groats is popularly thought of as the most northern point of the mainland of Great Britain, but this honour actually belongs to Dunnet Head. It is however the most northern settlement and is named after Jan De Groot, a Dutchman who in 1496, obtained the grant for the ferry from the mainland to Orkney, when it was acquired from Norway.

Dunnet Bay is popular with surfers and has a beautiful sweeping arc of sandy beach. Wildlife and seabirds are in abundance, as are the botanicals which are used in the Original Edition Rock Rose gin, which was recently featured in a ilovegin.com monthly box and is distilled locally at the Dunnet Bay Distillery. The Original Edition has delicate floral and citrus notes and plenty of warming juniper also coming through. No messing with this, it’s perfect as a gin and tonic, garnished with an orange wheel.

Stop 8 – ISGD2020

We are heading south again on my circuit of Scotland and stopping in the Cairngorms National Park at the Kinrara Distillery. It’s given me the opportunity to open a much loved special edition of their Highland Dry Gin – Struan – the second artist edition by Kat Baxter and featuring a beautiful red stag decorated with Kinrara tweed and botanicals used in the distillation of the gin. This is a gorgeous gin with juniper and citrus leading the way, so I’ve riffed up a recipe I found which links beautifully to their story – a Burns Negroni.

Kinrara Distillery was established in 2017, launching with their Highland Dry Gin early 2018. The location of their distillery is an old farm steading on the Kinrara Estate, which was the private estate of Lady Jane Gordon, a beautiful socialite who was known as the Empress of Fashion in the 18th century.

Lady Jane came from humble beginnings and grew up in Edinburgh. When she was 14 she got her right hand trapped in a cart wheel and lost a finger, so always wore gloves to hide the wooden prosthetic. In 1767 she married the very wealthy Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon, and they lived at Gordon Castlewhere she entertained on a lavish scale. In the 1780s she was one of Edinburgh’s leading hostesses and fashion icons. She invited up and coming artists to entertain at her soirée evenings, including Robert Burns, who first read his poetry to Edinburgh society in her drawing room. She later became his chief sponsor and purchased all his early published works. Jane is also credited to the raising of the Gordon Highlanders which was the outcome of a bet with the Prince of Wales (King George IV). She bet the prince she could recruit more men than he would, but she cheated, using all her womanly charms and beauty to her advantage! All recruits received a King’s shilling as a recruiting payment - accepted from between her lips! In 1793 she recruited 940 men!

It was not a happy marriage – Jane had married the Duke thinking her first-love had died, but discovered whilst on her honeymoon that he will still alive and in love with her. She and the Duke eventually became estranged and she moved to Kinrara House in the late 18th century,where she continued to entertain until her death in 1812.

Kinrara house has a colourful history, having changed hands a few times and been home to many influential owners. In 2018 the estate was bought by the Danish fashion mogul Anders Povlsen for a sum in excess of £3m. This made him Scotland’s biggest landowner and he now owns more land in Scotland than Prince Charles and the Duke of Westminster.

Burns Negroni: 25ml Kinrara Gin, 25ml Campari, 15ml Fino, 10ml Silent Pool Blackberry Cordial, 10ml Single Malt Whisky, 2 dashes orange bitters.

Stop 9 – ISGD2020

It’s not far to my next stop – The Balmenach Distillery in the Cairngorms National Park – home of Caorunn Gin.

Balmenach claims to be one of the first licenced distilleries in Scotland, only being licenced by James MacGregor in 1924, after a visit by an excise inspector. The distillery has changed hands and production halted several times over the years, but in 1997 it was sold to Inver House Distillers, who also own several other malt whisky distilleries. The company is a subsidiary of Thaibev, one of the largest alcoholic-beverages companies in SE Asia. In 2006 International Beverage Holdings Ltd was established as the international arm of Thaibev, with an aim to sell their products around the world – Caorunn is one of these brands.

However, Caorunn is still a small batch Scottish gin, handcrafted by distiller Simon Buley and using the world’s only working Copper Berry Chamber. 11 botanicals go into each bottle, 5 of which are local botanicals, reflected in not only the Art Nouveau inspired bottle (5 sides if you view from the base) but also the red asterisk, which has become its trademark logo.

Caorunn (ka-roon) is the Gaelic word for Rowan Berry, so this is what forms the soul of the gin. The 5 Celtic botanicals also include Coul Blush Apple, Heather, Dandelion and Bog Myrtle. The Copper Berry Chamber plays its part in allowing the botanicals to be infused slowly and over a wider surface than modern Carterheads allow, so that all their goodness is extracted. You would expect the local botanicals to stand proud and shine due to this process, but I struggle to detect any of them, so for me this is a standard juniper forward gin. The recommended G&T serve uses apples to garnish, but I thought I would go with something different and play on the berry botanicals to try and enhance them.

So this is a riff of a Sweet Manhattan, which uses whisky, a nod to the distillery's history – past and present.

CAORUNN MANHATTAN

30ml Caorunn Gin

20ml Single Malt Whisky

25ml Raspberry infused White Port

A couple of dashes of bitters

Splash of maraschino syrup to balance the cocktail and add a little sweetness.

Garnish with raspberries and maraschino cherries

Stop 10 – ISGD2020

#virtualscottishgintour

I’m going straight in with the cocktail for this post, as of all those I’ve made so far on my tour, this has to be my favourite and I can see myself making it time and time again! It’s a recipe I have adapted from Difford’s, called Smoke of Scotland. The original recipe uses whisky and vermouth, but as usual, I use what I have and of course, this is a gin page, so gin is always going to feature!

SMOKING HEART

60ml Zealot’s Heart Gin

15ml Taylor’s Chip Dry White Port

15ml St Germain

5m Cynar

Stir over ice until really cold and serve with a flamed grapefruit peel rose. You must flame this, as it adds the smoky element to the cocktail which makes all the difference!

I’m sure BrewDog is a familiar name to you all and that they are best known for their range of beer. They have been unstoppable since setting up and their distillery is one of the largest in the UK, with gin being a fairly new addition to their portfolio. They are grain to glass, making their own base spirit and use a unique triple-bubble copper still, which provides maximum copper contact for the spirit. When creating Zealot’s Heart, it was all about juniper which should be at the heart of any gin – as they put it – “It’s in juniper that we trust, the beating heart of a gin made by zealots, for zealots”.

They have certainly made an impression with this gin, not only with its presentation but also the liquid within. They use 5 times more juniper than an average gin and 16 other botanicals to complement it. It took 197 trials to perfect their recipe – and they are proud of this, including this number on their beautifully designed label. This is about perfection and obsession with the result being a gin which is worthy of worship and a label that symbolises their distillation journey, puts juniper at the centre of it and on a pedestal. The bottle shape is inspired by old apothecary containers, which again hints at the history of gin and it’s medicinal roots, but the blue glass pulls it sharply into the 21st century.

There’s not much more to say about this one other than it’s smoking hot, a bit like my cocktail creation!

Stop 11 – ISGD2020

It’s not everyday that one receives and accepts an offer from a Dragon as esteemed as Peter Jones and then subsequently has to turn it down due to a misunderstanding of what was on offer!

In 2018 Stuart Ingram rejected the £80k investment but has since crowdfunded and retained full ownership of everything that he has worked for his entire life – land, house and business. The brand was established in early 2016 and in its infancy stages House of Elrick gin was distilled at Gorilla Spirits, with whom they have close ties with through the history of the house. Since raising funds, they now have an on-site distillery, with plans to renovate the 18th century house and turn it into an experiential venue with a field to fork restaurant.

Elrick House was built in 1720 and it was during this period that Scottish Enlightenment began. This was the time when people started travelling in Europe, meeting philosophers and maverick thinkers and learnt more about art, politics, science, medicine and many other things. It was when everything was examined and questioned – a shift from religion to reason. The owners of Elrick House got swept along with this and hosted gatherings of some of the most respected minds of the time.

Over the next 300 years, ownership changed 5 times, creating a tapestry of romanticised history. One of the visitors to the house was Bonnie Prince Charlie, who gifted the white Jacobite Rose to the estate and it can still be found growing in the walled gardens. Look closely at the logo on the matt blue bottle and you will see the Jacobite rose, with a keyhole at it’s centre, surrounded by a celtic knot circle. The keyhole is symbolic of enlightenment – the unlocking of the mind – it’s about new ideas, experience and knowledge, whilst the knot represents life and eternity and how they are connected. This is the basis of their business and everything House of Elrick stands for.

The botanicals include a core of rose petals, orange, lemon, heather, pink peppercorns, sweet fennel and water from Loch Ness.  These are distilled in their 500l Copper Pot Still “Charlie”. Together they create a smooth, floral, bold and complex gin.

To honour past and present, I have mixed up a Rosetini, using 50ml Gin and 25ml Lanique. If you find this a bit too sweet, you can also add a bit of lime juice to it, but simple is sometimes best and I think this makes an elegant and striking martini riff.

Stop 12 – ISGD2020

Today’s stop is at Lost Loch Spirits Distillery, which is located on the shore of Loch Auchlossan, a loch that was drained to use as agricultural land back in 1859. The founders, Peter Dignan and Richard Pierce aimed to create spirits with character and a link to local folklore or historical figures from the Royal Deeside area.

EeNoo is from old Scots and means the present time, in a short time or at once, and so the focus on their label is time – but it doesn’t stop there. Whilst researching the word eeNoo, they uncovered the story of Eenoolooapik, an adventurous teenage Inuit who befriended a ship’s crew when they were whaling in Baffin Island in Canada.

In 1839 EeNoo, as he became known, travelled to Aberdeen aboard the Neptune and spent a year in Scotland, learning to read and write, whilst also sharing his knowledge of botanicals and Inuit customs. He returned to Baffin Island, on the Bon Accord, laden with gifts from friends he had made in Scotland. With his vast knowledge of the local coastline on his return,he led to the rediscovery of the Cumberland Sound.

Inuits were hunter gatherers, with a diet predominantly of fish, meat and blubber, supplemented with a selection of locally foraged berries. The botanical list for EeNoo gin plays homage to this, including brambles, raspberries and rosehip, sourced local to the distillery, but also including local honey and Scottish heather. The label and branding is in the style of Inuit art, with an Inuit Owl headdress and sandhill cranes, which migrate to breed on Baffin Island either side of the hourglass, holding branches of berries in their beaks.

I’ve kept the serve simple, with a little extra boost of berries and used 50ml Gin, 15ml Chambord, topped with Lixir Rhubarb & Ginger Tonic.

Stop 13 – ISGD2020

Next on the tour of my Scottish gin collection is the amazing Kirsty’s Gin from the Arbikie Highland Estate, which is situated near Lunan Bay in Angus and where there is a history of distilling dating back to 1794.

The distillery is located in a barn on the Stirling family farm and they are proudly a plough to bottle distillery. All their base spirits are created from crops grown and harvested on the farm. Kirsty’s Gin has a potato base spirit and includes Maris Piper, King Edward and Cultra varieties. Other botanicals used include kelp, thistle and blaeberry which embody the elements of ocean, rock and land that surround the farmlands.

Their master distiller Kirsty Black, is a graduate of Edinburgh's Heriot Watt University. In 2018 she was awarded Young Scientist of the Year Scotland Award First Prize by the Institute of Food and Science for her studies of legumes crops and recently she has created the world’s first carbon neutral gin, Nàdar Gin, using a spirit distilled from peas.

Distilling wasn’t Kirsty’s first career choice. She was an engineer in the medical industry, working on diabetes monitoring and pregnancy tests but after 10 years doing this she realised that this was not the path she wished to continue, so returned to Heriot-Watt. In her younger years she had dabbled with a bit of home brewing, so she pursued a Masters Degree in Brewing and Distilling. During her time there she worked with Caledonian Brewery and also helped develop the recipe for Pickering’s Gin. It was this project that led Kirsty down the path of distilling and she was fortunate to cross paths with the Stirling brothers and the rest as they say is history.

I have recreated a recipe from their website called the Angus/Arbikie Breakfast Martini, but I’ve put a little Scottish twist on it, by using a Whisky Marmalade. The recipe is 40ml Kirsty’s gin, 20ml lemon juice and a large spoon on marmalade. You should double strain to remove all the peel, but I decided not to for this serve – waste not want not!

Stop 14 – ISGD2020

#virtualscottishgintour

I’ve reviewed this gin so many times that I am not going to go into too much detail about the founders and what it’s all about - I’ll share previous posts in my stories or you can pop over to my blog to read more about the brand. What I haven’t shared before, is information about where it’s contract distilled.

So today’s stop is in Arbroath at Distillutions, where the head distiller Lewis Scothern creates his magic. This is a family run distillery, which offers a bespoke service to brands who are looking to create something different and so it’s no surprise that the founders of Top CBD Gin chose Lewis to create their CBD infused spirits range.

Lewis studied at Herriot-Watt University and graduated in 2011 with a degree in Brewing and Distilling and whilst studying he worked for a craft brewery in Edinburgh, eventually being promoted to head brewer. He then moved back to Arbroath where he worked as a head distiller for a plough to glass distillery, but his dream was always to own his own distillery and be able to create spirits without boundaries.

Distillutions use their 10 and 50 litre stills for development and scale up to their 200 litre still as required. The stills are unique and can be reconfigured depending on the clients requirements ie. botanicals in the still or in a basket for vapour infusing. They are unique stills, so pop over to their website to learn a bit more about them.

I’m sure you will recognise many of the brands who have benefited from Lewis’s experience and creativity, and Top CBD Spirits are certainly in good company. They include Fierce Spirits, Mackintosh, Crag & Tail, Redcastle, Smithies and Lenzie.

For today’s serve I have made a Spicy Sour cocktail – it’s a twist on a gimlet and I’ve managed to double up on the Scottish brands today as well, by using some Crabbie’s Ginger Liqueur as well.

50ml Top CBD Bloody Mary Gin

20ml Crabbie’s Ginger Liqueur

15ml St Germain

15ml Lime Juice

15ml Ginger Syrup (if you want a little more spice, infuse this with some chilli for a few hours)

Garnish with fresh ginger and lime wedges and enjoy.

Stop 15 – ISGD2020

Next up on my tour is a stop at the Eden Mill distillery near St Andrews. In 2017 they struck a £1.1m deal with Aldi to create a range of 3 exclusive limited edition gins and the Botanical Project Traditional Batch Gin is one of these.

This is possibly a marmite gin, so if you don’t like the flavour of caraway, then it won’t be for you. It’s described pretty accurately on the bottle as earthy, with black pepper coming through quite prominently, a bit of mint and lastly the sweetish liquorice notes from the caraway. It’s different and I like it, so I thought it would be the perfect gin to use in a Corpse Reviver….I think the recipe I’m using is #2, but with so many versions around, it’s a bit confusing, and I’m twisting this one a little too, as another sneaky entry into the #sevencroftscocktailcomp which ends today and is hosted by Sandra and Julian.

Because the gin has a similar flavour profile to aquavit, instead of washing my glass with aquivit as you would for a traditional Corpse Reviver, I have washed the glass with whisky – yep, that’s my Scottish twist for this one!

The recipe is super easy – equal parts gin, lemon juice, white port (I didn’t have Lillet) and triple sec (oops, no Cointreau either!). Garnish with a maraschino cherry and enjoy. The whisky rinse is very subtle, but I could detect it and I rather enjoyed this cocktail – my first corpse reviver and probably a good one to play about with a few more times this month with Halloween approaching.

Eden Mill Distillery was established to revive the art of distilling and brewing in St Andrews and their spirits are created in traditional copper pot stills, using locally and internationally sourced botanicals. They were the first to make spirits in the region for 150 years, using modern and traditional techniques and methods. I just popped over to their website and they currently have some amazing deals on some of their products and they are also supporting the drinks industry with their 70cl Love Gin – £2 from the sale of every bottle will be donated to The Drinks Trust, who are providing much needed support for individuals who work in the hospitality sector and who are currently struggling due to the pandemic.  If you are looking at some payday purchases, then do have a look at their offerings.

Stop 16 – ISGD2020

#virtualscottishgintour

James Porteous, another student of Heriot Watt, created his signature spirit, Achroous Gin as the perfect gin for a negroni! I have however served up a gimlet for this post, the reasons which will become apparent as you read on!

James studied product design in Glasgow and moved to London to pursue a career as a designer. Living in London exposed him to the craft beer culture and he decided to return to Edinburgh to pursue a change of career by enrolling in a Brewing and Distilling MSC Programme. His interest leaned towards distilling and in 2014 he established The Electric Spirit Companyand now shares space and a 500 litre G-Still with the Port of Leith Distillery.

Scotland's love affair with gin started in Leith. In the 1700s the first bottles of Jenever were traded into the Port in exchange for wool and other supplies, possibly even Scottish Juniper. Leith was the gateway to Scotland and its busiest port until around 1707 when Glasgow took over. It was a hub of wine and spirits trade and by 1777 there were 8 licenced distilleries in Edinburgh and more than 400 unregisteredstills. The distilleries were making gin, but also exporting grain spirit via Leith to London gin distillers in vast quantities. After legislation in 1823 halved duties and permitted volume production, export south increased, much to the protest of many English distillers and a price war ensued, resulting in an increase again of Scottish taxes. Not to be beaten, the Scottish distillers got creative and invented a method of continuous distillation, which yielded faster and cheaper quantities of spirit than pot stills. This new style of spirit greatly influenced the production of gin in London, allowing distillers to move away from the traditional Old Tom style, to the London Dry we know today.

Based in the busy Port of Leith, ship chandler, Laughlan Rose realised there was a need to provide Vitamin C to sailors who passed through. He began preserving lime juice in 1865, patenting a method of preserving it without alcohol and in 1868, Rose’s Lime Juice became the world’s first commercially produced fruit concentrate.

As a nod to the history of Leith, my serve is a gimlet, which is traditionally made with Rose’s Lime Cordial*. Achroous means colourless, which is why I have named this an Electric Gimlet!

Stop 17 – ISGD2020

#virtualscottishgintour

My next stop is at Old Poison, a speakeasy craft distillery established in late 2017 in the heart of Edinburgh, and where Italian mixologist Fabrizio Cioffi creates his magic. As a nod to Fabrizio’s roots, I have mixed up a negroni, using Exotic Old Tom Gin, Knightor Rose Vermouth and Campari.

This is truly handcrafted small batch gin, created in a 30 litre copper pot still and using traditional methods. Alongside gin, Fabrizio also creates Elder, which is made with Scottish elderberries, a coffee liqueur, an amaro and a small range of limited edition gins, of which Exotic is one.

I thought I would focus on their Selkie Gin, which is named after a mythical creature in old Scots myth. The Selkie is a shapeshifting creature that transforms between human and seal, but is often depicted similarly to mermaids. The typical tale is of a man who steals the female selkie’s skin and forces her to become his wife. He hides her skin in a locked chest or in the roof, so that she cannot find it, as without it, she cannot return to the sea. Should they have children, they would usually have webbed fingers and toes, but if the selkie finds her skin, she will abandon her husband and children to return to the sea – perhaps back to her selkie husband. It’s said she may sometimes return to visit her family in human or seal form.

Male selkies are described as very handsome and seductive, usually seeking out women who are unhappy in their relationships or marriages! They would often come ashore, shed their seal skin, hide it and then seek out a little loving from unsatisfied women! Ladies, if you want some selkie love, then all you need to do is shed seven tears into the sea and wait for your selkie-man to come to your rescue!

Stop 18 – ISGD2020

I’m sure Edinburgh Gin needs no introduction but this is a rather special Limited Edition celebrating 350 years of the Royal Botanic Garden and is made using some of the classic ingredients which were grown at the original Physic Garden. The list of plants was taken from a pamphlet published in 1683 by James Sutherland, who was the Superintendent of the Garden at the time.

It’s a lovely gin – perfect for a G&T. Juniper forward, aromatic and herbal. I’ve used an elderflower tonic with it and garnished with a simple lime rose.

The history of “The Botanics”, as The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is known, was that it was established in 1670 as a medicinal garden, growing herbs which could be used to train physicians to identify plants and educate them on their safe use. It is now a world renowned centre for plant science, horticulture and education. Edinburgh Gin partnered with The Botanics, believing that gin distilling is an art which can be perfected by the correct application of science.

There have been a few collaborations between Royal or Physic Gardens all around the country. Kew Gardens have their own botanical gin and The Oxford Artisan Distillery TOAD also have a physic gin which uses botanicals grown in the Oxford Botanic Garden, est. 1621. This one interestingly does not contain orris, as it wasn’t grown in the Oxford Botanic Garden, but I’ll review these another time.

Stop 19 – ISGD2020

I’m moving along swiftly now, as ISGD2020 is only 2 days away and I’ve a few more stops to make before I complete my tour – there will be a giveaway at the end of it, so keep your eyes peeled!

While your eyes are peeled… feast them on this gorgeous new bottle from The Pentland Still. Today’s serve is based on a white lady, but I’ve swapped out a few of the ingredients! If you are drinking this gin as a G&T, then the recommended serve is Mediterranean tonic.

ST WILLIAM ST CLAIR

50ml Gin

25ml King’s Hill Rhubarb & Amaretto Gin Liqueur

25ml Lemon Juice

20ml Ginger Syrup

15ml Blue Curacao (use less if you don’t want as deep a colour)

Egg White / foamer

I wet and then dry shook this one as I used a foamer. If you use egg white, dry shake first.

Since the 1820s the Glencorse Reservoir in the Pentland Hills has provided some of Edinburgh's drinking water; sadly it drowned the fourteenth century chapel of St Katherine’s in the Hope, but it is occasionally visible during periods of drought. The founding of this now submerged chapel is connected with the story of a 14th century royal deer hunt. Upon hearing King Robert the Bruce speak of a white stag which eluded them on many a hunt, Sir William St Clair declared that he and his hounds could capture it. The indignant King set a wager of Sir William’s head against his estate, should he capture it before him. As was custom at the time, dogs were used for the hunt, but the King disallowed it, saying they would startle the stag, so sent out a small party to find the stag. Sir William positioned himself and his hounds Help and Hold in a nearby field, where he prayed to St Katherine for his life. As luck would have it, the stag ran towards him, startled by the noise being created by the search party and his hounds managed to contain it and bring it down after he fell from his horse. Such was his gratitude that he built a chapel in the glen – St Katherine’s in the Hope - and the hill on which the event took place was named King’s Hill.

Stop 20 – ISGD2020

Gifted

The team at The Border’s Distillery set me a challenge to create a cocktail for International Scottish Gin Day, using William Kerr’s Gin and some of the contents of a fruit and veg box which they kindly sent me. I’ve created a few cocktails, which I will showcase over the coming weeks, but my favourite has to be this Devils on Horseback Negroni.

To make this, I used some dates which were in the fruit and veg box, destoned them and wrapped them in streaky bacon and then gently panfried them. I then poured the fat from the pan and one of the Devils into a jar and added Cynar – gave it a good mash up and then just left it at room temperature for a few hours. Once I was happy with the infusing, I strained it to remove the obviously big bits and popped it into the freezer. This froze the remaining fat, which was then easily strained off. This is fat-washing! The remaining cynar took on a smoky sweet flavour of the bacon and date.

DEVILS ON HORSEBACK NEGRONI

50ml William Kerr’s Gin

50ml Knightor Rose Vermouth

50ml Cynar – infused and fat-washed

Go crazy with a date and devil garnish and do make sure you have a bowl of devils on the side to snack!

The barley base of Kerr’s, along with the strong juniper notes stand up well to the infused cynar and make for a very unique and tasty negroni!

Thank you Border’s Distillery for this fun challenge - I’ve a few more “extra” serves up my sleeve using some of the other ingredients in the F&V box and will share them soon.

Stop 21 – ISGD2020

This is my final stop on my virtual gintour and tomorrow I’ll return to Glasgow to celebrate International Scottish Gin Day. I thought a stop at The Crafty Distillery, with their bolt of inspiration logo, would be a good place to finish and have a think about all the inventions and ideas that came out of Scotland and which make the world a better place.

You may think the list starts with tartan, haggis, scotch eggs and bagpipes, but you would be wrong. None of these have their origins in Scotland! The bagpipes are Middle Eastern; an English recipe for haggis was discovered in a recipe book dating back to 1615, more than a century before it was mentioned in Scotland; the kilt has its origin in ancient Egypt; Scotch eggs were invented in London by Fortnum & Mason; and the tartan pattern has its roots in China. Even the saying “getting off scot free” has its origins in Scandinavia as scot is the word for tax!

But let’s have a list of some of the things that Scotland can take credit for! Television, Penicillin, Golf, Dolly the Sheep, Encyclopedia Britannica, Bicycles, Tyres, Bank of England, Telephones, The BBC, Logarithms, Decimal points, Aston Martin Vanquish, Microwaves, Paraffin, Porridge, Postage-stamp adhesive, Propellers, Radar, Raincoats, Tarmacadam (tarmac!), Telephones, Vacuum flasks, Rubber bands, Pencils, Faxes, Chicken Tikka Masala, Grand Theft Auto, Forensic Fingerprinting, Refrigerators, Toasters, Hypnotherapy, Daily disposable lenses, Bovril, Colour Photography, The Flushing Toilet, ATMs, Kaleidoscopes, Hypodermic syringes, H5N1(yep, bird flu first appeared in Scotland in 1959!) and as I mentioned in a previous post, Rose’s Lime Cordial.

However….that is not all! The Gin & Tonic would never have existed if it wasn’t for a Scottish Scientist – Edinburgh-born George Cleghorn, an 18th century doctor who discovered that quinine could cure malaria. It was so bitter in tonic water that they added gin to make it more palatable.

I think therefore that without delay I’m going to start my ISGD celebrations and get a G&T down my neck after a busy week! Of course it will be Hills & Harbour, a fabulous grain to bottle gin, which includes Noble Fir needles and Bladderwrack Seaweed collected from the forests and coastline in Galloway. Cheers everyone!

ROCK ROSE REFILL REWARDS CLUB

[Gifted]

Today being International Scottish Gin Day seems the perfect day to show you all the new Refill Rewards Club from Dunnet Bay Distillery.

This is a flexible monthly subscription, allowing you to select which gin you would like from their range. If you are a bit slower to finish your bottle, you can choose bi-monthly or quarterly subscriptions and work your way around all their different gin expressions. The gin also comes in their new eco-friendly pouch refills, so all you need do is pop it into your empty bottle and then throw the pouch into a nearby postbox and it will be returned to the distillery. It's such a clever system, as you don't even need a stamp!

The Rewards Club box also comes with 2 mixers and some mystery treats.  This month some yummy tablet and crisps were included, as well as a little packet of dried garnishes, to make sure you have the perfect serve and snacks ready to serve.  Do pop over to their page or website to learn more about their distillery and how they make Rock Rose gin.  They have a fantastic visitor centre now, which may be difficult to visit due to the pandemic, but should you find your way up in the north of Scotland, do drop in and see them.

Thank you to Martin and Claire for sending me this super treat and a new gin from their range to try. Happy Scottish Gin Day to everyone at the distillery.

I trust everything else is enjoying ISGD today and hopefully serving up whatever fantastic Scottish gins you all have to hand!