The weather might be starting to turn but that doesn’t mean the gin needs to go back into the drinks cabinet.
Thanks to the many Scottish gin distilleries – many of which have scooped awards for their outstanding offerings – you can enjoy quality gin year-round.
To give it a more autumnal feel, why not add some ginger or some autumn fruits to your glass?
Enjoy a Bloody good drink with Stirling Gin
At Stirling Gin they are proud that their scintillating botanical blend derives its unique taste from the nettles that grow wild within the parkland once hunted by the Royal House of Stewart, who ruled Scotland in medieval times from the iconic castle soaring above the old town’s walls.
The award-winning big-nose gin is best served with a twist of orange peel, a sprinkling of basil leaf and the splash of a premium tonic, which will allow the mix of blue-chip botanicals such as angelica root, orange, lemon, basil and of course juniper, to tickle your palate and provide a long-lingering moment of sensual delight.
They have now also developed a new signature Bloody Scotland gin-based cocktail, which was launched at the crime-fiction festival of the same name earlier this month in their home city, to critical acclaim.
With their custom built Old Smiddy Distillery and visitor centre due to be opened next year, it’s an exciting future ahead for Stirling Gin.
Visit the Stirling Gin website for more information.
Enjoy a walk in a herb garden with Herby & Aromatic
Another Persie Gin offering, Herby & Aromatic was awarded a Silver Outstanding for Gin & Tonic by the International Wine & Spirits Competition.
Its fragrance is reminiscent of herb gardens with bay trees, rosemary and basil and it’s ideal for a savoury flavoured drink, such as a ‘Bloody Herby’ – tomato juice, sherry, tabasco and of course some Herby & Aromatic.
Persie Gin’s family of three aromatic gins was developed after two years of harvesting feedback from 4,000 gin-lovers through Gin Club Scotland tastings. They found that for cracking gin, you need more than a nice taste – you need aroma. So Persie Gin taps right into that, with each gin designed to stimulate your sense of smell up front.
The distillery is open to the public Saturday-Thursday 12 noon to 6pm.
Visit the Persie Gin website to find out more.
Get a warm glow with Firkin American Oak
Firkin Original is created using a unique botanical London Dry style gin recipe that is rested in Oak whisky casks for several weeks. It is during this resting time that the colour of the gin changes to an alluring golden hue and the delicate notes of toffee, caramel, vanilla and sweet oak are infused into the spirit.
The signature London style dry gin is made in the time-honoured way by redistilling 10 carefully selected botanicals – juniper berries, coriander seeds, angelica root, lemon peel, orange peel, cassia bark, liquorice, ground nutmeg, cinnamon bark, orris root.
The result of Firkin’s process is a delicious and sippable spirit with the perfect equilibrium between the flavours of the base spirit, the botanicals, and the wood – just the way an aged gin should be. It is bottled at 46% abv, with each batch having its own completely unique cask genre character.
Find out more at the Firkin website.
Celebrate your Viking side with Up Helly Aa
This unique special edition gin celebrates Shetland’s world famous Viking fire festival, Up Helly Aa.
Aged in ex-whisky casks and bottled on Britain’s most northerly isle, Unst, this specially produced, navy strength, Shetland Reel Gin delivers notes of wood and spices to give an extra spark – the perfect spirit to accompany the fiery festivities.
In 2017, Up Helly Aa was also awarded a Silver Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Awards.
Up Helly Aa Shetland Reel Gin is available in the UK from the Shetland Reel website and comes in 70cl and 20cl bottles (RRP £42 and £20 respectively).
Visit the Shetland Reel Gin website for more information.
Relive summer with the taste of Johnsmas
Johnsmas is midsummer, a time during which the sun barely disappears below the Orcadian horizon.
This time of year was traditionally marked by the lighting of bonfires all over Orkney, and with young people climbing hills to greet the rising sun.
A time steeped in tradition, Orcadian folklore says that Selkie folk were able to shed their sealskins and transform into humans on Johnsmas Eve.
Multi award-winning Johnsmas gin captures the fragrant notes of long summer days, as well as the years of tradition that accompany this time of year, with a mix of botanicals found locally as well as beyond Orkney Gin’s shores including homegrown mint, rose petals and Orcadian heather flower.
The perfect addition to any summery cocktail, served with a good Indian tonic or with an elderflower tonic for something more alternative.
Johnsmas Gin has been recognised on both the national and global stage, with numerous awards including a gold medal in the 2017 Global Spirit Masters and Category Winner in the 2017 World Gin Awards.
Find out more at the Orkney Gin website.
Put some zest in your life with this Perthshire gin
The Zesty Citrus, made by Glenshee distillery Persie Gin, was voted Best Gin in Scotland Under £35 by Scottish Field magazine – a fantastic achievement for the brand.
An explosion of limes and blood oranges (with some piney notes), the Zesty Citrus is great with tonic or even straight with a bit of torn mint and a sliver of lime peel.
Persie Gin’s family of three aromatic gins was developed after two years of harvesting feedback from 4,000 gin-lovers through Gin Club Scotland tastings. They found that for cracking gin, you need more than a nice taste – you need aroma. So Persie Gin taps right into that, with each gin designed to stimulate your sense of smell up front.
The distillery is open to the public Saturday-Thursday 12 noon to 6pm.
Visit the Persie Gin website to find out more.
Taste some tradition with Rhubarb Old Tom
Rhubarb Old Tom is Orkney Gin Company’s highly anticipated latest release.
Rhubarb thrives in the Orcadian climate; its red stems and large leaves are a common site in the gardens of many old houses and rhubarb remains an often-used ingredient in traditional cooking.
The Rhubarb Old Tom is a celebration of the subtle, yet unmistakable taste of rhubarb, made in a very traditional Old Tom style, this gin is full strength at 43% but has been lightly sweetened.
In this Old Tom, fresh rhubarb is perfectly complemented by a range of the finest botanicals, including cinnamon, Seville orange peel and Croatian juniper, making this a beautifully smooth gin which can be enjoyed over ice.
Alternatively, a good tonic, ginger ale or prosecco make ideal mixers for a light, summery drink.
This gin was originally created as a gift for a family wedding but it went down so well that it was released as a limited edition, hand-crafted in ultra-small batches, with rhubarb found in and hand-picked from houses and farms all across Orkney.
Find out more at the Orkney Gin website.
Make your next gin something a bit Nutty
One for the sweet-tooths, the Sweet & Nutty Old Tom from Persie Gin is another award-winner – it scooped Silver in the Speciality Gin category at the Scottish Gin Awards.
With vanilla, butterscotch and almond flavours, a glass of Sweet & Nutty Old Tom is like an ice cream sundae in a glass. Pair it with some ginger ale to give it a bit of a punch.
Persie Gin’s family of three aromatic gins was developed after two years of harvesting feedback from 4,000 gin-lovers through Gin Club Scotland tastings. They found that for cracking gin, you need more than a nice taste – you need aroma. So Persie Gin taps right into that, with each gin designed to stimulate your sense of smell up front.
The distillery is open to the public Saturday-Thursday 12 noon to 6pm.
Visit the Persie Gin website to find out more.
Scottish Gin of the Year 2017 – Verdant Dry Gin
Voted ‘Scottish Gin of the Year’ by the Scottish Gin Awards, and winning two gold medals, the flavor-packed classic Verdant Dry Gin is an aromatic juniper-led spirit with notes of fresh citrus on the nose warm, earthy undertones of spice. Their carefully curated blend of botanicals is inspired by Dundee’s rich trading history and reflects the routes once sailed by traders to and from the city.
These characteristics make it perfect served neat or as a G&T with your favourite tonic – and, bottled at 43% ABV, it has plenty of character to hold its own when used in the skilled mixologist’s hands, where it adds a subtle depth and vitality to both new and traditional cocktail creations.
Dundee has had a long and successful association with the spirits trade for many centuries and Verdant Gin has tried to build on that entrepreneurial and industrial and past.
They are truly proud to be the first and only distillery there for almost 200 years, and to bring the accolade of ‘Gin of the Year’ to the city.
Find out more at the Verdant Gin website.
Warm yourself on a winter evening with Mikkelmas
Mikkelmas gin is inspired by the harvest festival, a time still marked by dances and gatherings on each of Orkney’s islands to celebrate a successful harvest, to mark the end of crisp, clear summer days, and the start of the long, dark winter ahead.
This gin is hand-crafted and contains a blend of bold, seasonal botanicals, including secret mulled spices, cinnamon and Orcadian rosehip with seven-times distilled premium grain spirit, which come together to create a unique and wonderfully smooth gin.
This warming gin acts in perfect contrast to the long nights and wild weather of winter, and as such makes a wonderful substitute for whisky in a hot toddy, a highly traditional drink used to ward off the cold, something very much needed on a cold, Orcadian winter night.
Mikkelmas has seen success both nationally and globally, receiving multiple awards including a Two Star award in the Great Taste Awards and Silver Medals from both the International Wine and Spirits Competition and the Spirits Business Gin Masters.
Find out more at the Orkney Gin website.
Try a gin that is Ocean Sent
Ocean Sent, the second gin from The Shetland Distillery Company in Unst, the most northerly island in the UK, is unique among craft Scottish gins in featuring native bladderwrack seaweed from the Shetland coastline.
Launched in November 2015, it is a London Dry Gin with a surprising depth of flavour that also makes a fabulous cocktail base.
In 2016, Ocean Sent was also awarded a Silver Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Awards.
Ocean Sent Shetland Reel Gin is widely available in the UK and comes in 70cl and 20cl bottles (RRP £32 and £13 respectively).
Visit the Shetland Reel Gin website for more information.
Get Naked with Firkin Gin
Introducing the award-winning brilliantly tasty London dry gin used to create our famous Firkin Gin.
Quadruple distilled using ten of the finest botanicals including juniper, coriander seed, angelica root and orris root to Firkin’s very own special recipe, this is the FIRKIN Gin you know and love, but Naked!
No ageing. No whisky casks. Just their original recipe gin in all its glory.
Crafted in small batches, each and every bottle is individually filled, corked, labelled and sealed by hand.