Shetland Reel Gin - Ocean Sent 70cl

Product Information

The wildcard on this list has to be McQueen Gin, the Callander produced spirit that offers some of the strangest flavoured gins we have come across. Launching in July 2018, King’s Hill Gin takes its name from a bet between King Robert the Bruce and Sir William ‘The Crusader’ Sinclair, which took place in the Pentland Hills, where the distillery is based. Made with 12 botanicals including the locally foraged gorse, heather, wild rosehip and elderflower. Named after the indigenous bird that can only be found in the ancient forests of Scotland, Crossbill gin is one of the only gin distilleries to use 100 per cent Scottish juniper and rosehip. Created by James Porteous, Achroous Gin has built a strong reputation as an exceptional Scottish Gin, culminating in winning double gold at the prestigious San Fransisco World Spirits Competition. Due to the current Covid-19 restrictions that are in place throughout Scotland we are operating a more restricted operation with visitors only being accepted if booked for a tour in advance

Tours need not be pre-booked; however, we highly recommend that reservations are made in advance. Walk-in visitor spaces on our Tours operate on a first come first served basis so booking in advance will avoid disappointment. One of Scotland's smallest commercial distilleries, Strathearn produce four main gins currently; the Classic, the Citrus, the Heather Rose gin and the Oaked Highland gin. Where Valhalla is a beautiful sipping gin, Thought & Memory is stunning as a longer drink – and it makes a mean G&T. Juniper led on the nose, it is described as having “fresh notes of citrus on the nose and palate with warm, earthy undertones of spice”. Included in the carefully curated blend of botanicals, which was inspired by Dundee’s rich trading history and reflects the routes once sailed by traders to and from the city, are Grains of Paradise, Bitter orange and Liquorice. EAST LOTHIAN: NB GIN Picture: NB GinMade with 17 botanicals including its signature ingredient, carageen seaweed (also known as Irish moss), foraged on the island, Barra Atlantic Gin helps transports you to the Outer Hebridean island – and the most westerly distillery in the country. As with many of the gins on our list, it uses a mix of foraged and bought-in botanicals. But unlike of the Scottish gins we’ve mentioned here, it features parsnip in the mix! Other notable botanicals inlude wood sorrel, rhubarb and birch sap.

Disclosure: Sipping & Styling has previously collaborated with Crafty Distillery, although bought the bottle of their gin herself. Free sample bottle previously provided to From the Gin Shelf for review. It is infused with five Celtic botanicals (including Coul Blush Apple and Bog Myrtle), six traditional botanicals and Scottish spring water. Caorunn gin is hand crafted by Balmenach's Gin master who personally oversees every step of the process. • READ MORE: New library of Scottish botanicals aims to help Scottish gin distillers and boost exports ST ANDREWS: EDEN MILL ORIGINAL GIN Picture: The Whisky Exchange NB claim that no matter the demand for their product they will only ever produce in small batches to ensure their gin is as perfect as they can make it and remains hand-crafted. Having been part of the Brit awards after party for several years, it’s clear that it’s that not only gin lovers taking notice but also music royalty are too. EDINBURGH: EDINBURGH GIN Picture: Edinburgh Gin

Hrafn Thought & Memory Gin

Based in Aberdeenshire, Little Brown Dog Spirits was founded by Andrew Smith and Chris Reid. Their flagship gin, LBD, is a newcomer to the Scottish gin scene, launching in May 2020. They've recently returned home to St Andrew's and added a ‘Distil Your Own’ experience to their tour offering, inviting visitors to create their own recipe from a selection of botanicals and distil a 70cl bottle of gin to take home. GLASGOW: CROSSBILL GIN We support the Scottish Government’s Zero Tolerance campaign towards drinking & driving, and recommend visitors who intend to consume alcohol arrive on foot, or by public transport. The juniper is beautifully balanced, and lingers purposefully behind those bold red fruits, with suggestions of a rich and warming sweet spice. It works brilliantly as a G&T, with a fresh raspberry garnish. The tonic pulls forward a little more sweetness, whilst maintaining the strong raspberry flavour, putting a delicate and floral touch on a classic. Using small batches of pure grain spirit which are triple distilled for smoothness, the gin is created using the distillery's unique Copper Berry Chamber, which was made in the 1920s.

The pair use Juniper, Heather, Rosehip, Peppercorn and Citrus alongside Silver Birch Tree sap from trees in the local Kincardine Castle Estate. Esker will be the first Scottish Gin we know of to use Birch Tree sap in its recipe, with the distinctive ingredient giving the new gin a refreshing sweetness; Birch Tree sap is also renowned for its health-boosting properties. Disclosure: Katie was previously sent a miniature of Biggar Strength Gin, but was so impressed she bought a full bottle after tasting! The first of several navy strength gins on our list is a relative newcomer to the Scottish Gin scene. Launching in May 2020, Biggar Gin have built on their growing following with the playfully named Biggar Strength. Winner of a silver medal at the London Spirits Competition 2020, it uses the locally foraged hawthorn berry as a key botanical. Julian Vallis says:“I like Achroous because of it breaking the mould by being a ‘sessionable’ gin with an Old Tom character, despite it having no added sugar.The British Gin Festival will give shoppers the chance to taste a new range of craft gins, that have never been sold in Lidl stores before. And while some of the brands may look familiar, we can guarantee there are some you've never tried before. Priding themselves on creating a taste of Edinburgh, the company's myriad gins are as varied as they are excellent (we recommend the delightfully punchy Edinburgh Cannonball bottled at 57.2% abv). Edinburgh’s first gin distillery in 150 years has a lot to live up to, but with a great location - Summerhall distillery - it already looks well on its way to making its mark.

Glasgow's first whisky distillery in over a hundred years is making its mark not just in the world of whisky but also in the world of gin. Carrying on the tradition of whisky distilleries creating great small batch gins. So popular they once even had to ration their gin due to having such high demand and they've been named the Gin of the Year by consumers in the annual Scottish Gin Society poll two years running. GLASGOW: MAKAR GIN On the Isle of Jura, Claire Fletcher, Alicia MacInnes and Georgina Kitching came up with the idea during a brain-storming session on how to create interesting jobs for women on the Hebridean island.

Hills & Harbour Gin

With the recent launch of International Scottish Gin Dayand the success of a number of gin festivals, as well as the fact that gin is expected to outstrip sales of Scotch by 2020, we thought we'd take a look at 30 of the best Scottish gins - including the Scottish Gin of the Year - we think you should try: 30 of the best Scottish Gins ABERDEENSHIRE: TEASMITH GIN A selection of some of the nation’s artisan spirits from distillers including Esker and Shetland Reel will be available for a limited time during the popular in-store festival. Not only that but it comes in one of the most fantastic spirit bottles we’ve seen. Designed by the team at Stranger & Stranger, the bottle reflects the rolling waves of the Harris coast and carries deliberate imperfections to reflect the rugged nature of the island itself.