Scottish Gins

Scottish Gins

Gin popularity and production has taken off in recent years. There are currently over 90 distilleries in Scotland with more In the pipelines to begin their own production of this fabulous drink. Many of these distilleries not only produce but also welcome tours from the public. Although many of the gins you may enjoy appear to be from Scotland many are actually distilled out with Scotland or through third party contracts which doesn’t make them truly Scottish.

We have decided to focus on the truly Scottish Gins when you embark on your Scottish Tourer holiday with ourselves. Please acquaint yourself with the locations of the distilleries you wish to visit as it may be you visit prior to arriving at our depot. We offer a tailored campervan packages for you and your family with everything included in the cost. We have a designated shuttled bus, so we can collect you and your party from train stations, airports or a designated spot to bring you to your motorhome, we have bedding and towels avalible to hire, bikes hire as well as golf clubs. Simply let us know a little bit about your holiday plans and we can provide you with further details. 

Where to start with Gin? 

That’s a difficult one to answer when there are hundreds on the market currently. However we have compiled a very small list of some of the best distilleries we have found along our travels. 

• Arriving in Glasgow? Make sure you take a look at the Bardowie Gin Distillery. This distillery became a reality when in 2014 Mark decided to turn his hobby into a business. He set up a micro brewery in Glasgow in 2014 originally to supply craft beers (Jaw Beer). With the huge success of the craft beers it soon became apparent that their was a market for gin from the very same customer base and so Bardowie Gin was born as we know it today. Currently their four main gins are Bardowie Pink, Zest , Loch and Blast. Each with its own unique taste and their presentation of bottles is truly inspiring to any entrepreneur. Grab yourself some tantalising gin with a blend of juniper, coriander, fruity and bay.
• St Andrews is known for many things and know they have added gin to that list. Based on an old whisky distillery site and paper mill the mission here was to restore distilling and brewing to St Andrews. The Eden Mill Gin is brewed in Copper pots and is mixed with a variety of flavours and botanicals from the local area, Seabuckthorn is a superfood that grows within the area and is the reason this gin tastes so unique. They produce a wide variety of gins and they won the Gin of the year in 2018. You can pick up Eden Mill Gin all over Scotland and its definitely worth picking of a bottle or two. 

• Heading up to Speyside you will find the Auua Gin. The lady behind this brand Jill Brown found that she had pure water and a fabulous choice of botanicals on her doorstep. The main botanicals within this gin are from Jill’s grandparents farm, dandelion, Rowan, Mint , nettle and red clover.  It makes for a traditional fresh Scottish Gin which has always been distilled and bottled under the very same roof. 
• The Scottish Highlands is full of gems. Their Cairngorm Gin is certainly one of these. First produced in 2019 in Cooper pot stills, designed and brought to life by a gentleman named Jack who originally was a chef to trade. This is believed to be the only gin in the UK to feature Cloudberry as a botanical. The other key botanicals include Caledonia pine, Kaffir Lime and sweet orange peel. They can be found In the Cairngorms however they are very rare. Each batch of Cairngorm gin is brewed and distilled in the area in small batches to endure the quality remains exceptionally high. The Gin itself is similar to that of a London Dry Gin , best enjoyed neat over a bed of ice.  

• Angus not far from our depot in Perth the Honeyberry Gin was born. Named the Angus Terroir which means “soul of the land”, the land here is just ripe for producing some of the best berries in the world and in this gins case namely honeyberries. Again this gin is produced in very small batches to capture the beauty of the gin and the berries in one. This gin is produced in a 2 step process with the vapour infusion starting the process. Once distilled this base is blended with fresh honeyberry juice. It’s a purple colour and has the tang of the berries. Enjoy this tipple with a sweet tonic and pop your feet up to truly embrace this gin.
• Islands of Scotland, Bute is home to the Oyster Gin. First produced in 2018 in 200litre copper pot stills. All botanicals are sourced locally on the island including the oysters who’s shells are used in this gin. Mixed with Osyters fresh from the water and a mix of citrus botanicals this makes a savoury gin that is perfectly paired with a seafood dish or as the base for a dry martini. The other key botanicals here are juniper, cucumber, seaweed, lemon and coriander. 

• The Isle of Raasay Gin is actually the first legal spirit from this island. Notorious for illicit brewing of alcoholic beverages. This is a handcrafted gin and combines 10 botanicals. This makes for a zesty dry gin that will leave your taste buds tingling and wanting a second one. 

These are just a few of the local gins of Scotland. Scotland has hundreds of gins and each one with its own flavours, botanicals and story behind its creation. If history is in your bones then a gin tour of Scotland will be thoroughly enjoyable as each bottle has its own story. Each owner of the distilleries are keen to tell you’re their unique stories and how their gin came to be how it is today. Most distilleries have tours for the public just be sure to check their website incase you require to pre book.

The added bonus of using a Scottish Tourer Motorhome is that you can choose to wild camp locally near any of the distilleries you choose to visit. You are not restricted to where your hotel is or local transport. Most distilleries have ample parking but we do always recommend you check the route prior to travelling as each motorhome is a different size height and width. For more information on what motorhome would suit your holiday best please visit our website on www.scottishtourer.co.uk