Scotland’s fast-growing drink industry is not just about whisky, beer and the phenomenal growth of gin-making.
There are a few other beverages making their way off the production line.
Last year, entrepreneurial duo Michael Ballantyne and Ross Davidson released their first batch of solely Speyside whisky cask-aged tequila – a world first.
Their UWA Tequila business, based in Aberdeen, works in collaboration with a leading distiller in the town of Tequila to put a Scottish twist on the Mexican drink.
Mr Ballantyne said: “We’re all about doing our own thing and setting our own rules here at UWA.
“We have been on the go for nearly eight months commercially but the company has been on the go for more than two years.
“We are in leading retail shops Harrods and Harvey Nichols, as well as in the famous Gleneagles hotel, but that’s not to exclude all the small retail shops that have taken a chance on us from the very beginning.
“We’re the only tequila company in the world to age our barrel-aged tequilas in single malt casks so there’s a cost that comes with that.
“Our barrels are hand selected from Scotland and shipped to Mexico and to do this, unfortunately, means a higher cost to the consumer – but we’ve been lucky and have some fantastic fans of the brand.”
He added: “We’re working on our launch for the US, which is happening early 2019, and have some really exciting things coming up .
“When people build brands they can sometimes get a bit lost in why they are doing it.
“I’m building a brand that’s true to myself and if people like what we’re all about then that’s who we want drinking our tequila.
“I didn’t just choose to do tequila, it really chose me when I went and discovered the real history behind the drink and culture.”
Loch Lost Distillery, based at Aboyne, has joined the gin-making throng but it is also behind Scotland’s first home-produced absinthe.
Peter Dignan teamed up with fellow oil and gas industry professional Richard Pierce to get their absinthe venture up and running.
Mr Dignan said: “Business is good and we are growing month on month.
“We have started dipping our feet into the contract distilling market and are working on a few interesting projects. We hope to bring at least one of these to fruition within the next few months.
“We have also just had our sign-off from Aberdeenshire Council and will be starting building work on our tasting rooms and gin and absinthe school before the end of the year.”
“We have turned away hundreds of visitors this year from the distillery due to work on our gin and absinthe school and tasting rooms being delayed.
“For next summer, we want to be fully equipped to cater for the tourist industry on Deeside and in Aberdeenshire.”