With the current gin boom unlikely to slow down any time soon, these are the best new Scottish gins available to buy now or launching soon.
From Island spirits to a launch from a famous chef, which one will be your new favourite?
Very excited to be launching this at our upcoming foodie festival:))! pic.twitter.com/cywfJEdLY6
— Nick Nairn (@NickNairn) July 16, 2019
Chef Nick Nairn launched this gin at the first Foodies Festival at his cook school at Port of Menteith.
The first batch sold out in a few hours, with pre-orders being taken for batch two.
The gin contains base notes of juniper, angelica, corriander, winter savory and notes of rosemary, fennel and lemon verbena.
All of the botanicals are hand-harvested the shores of the Lake of Menteith, dried and distilled to Nick's own recipe.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtA2hp2gkND/
After being closed for renovation, the Tobermory Distillery on the Isle of Mull has recently revealed its latest sprits, which include an island-inspired gin.
New-make spirit from the Tobermory whisky stills is used alongside hand-selected botanicals including juniper, tea, heather, elderflower and sweet orange peel, to create this smooth, sweet gin.
Currently the 60 litre gin still, Wee Betty, is producing the gin but once a bigger operation is in place, the Tobermory gin will be available to buy. Watch this space!
Picture: Ben Lomond
Launched in June this year, this gin is inspired by one of Scotland’s most famous landmarks, Ben Lomond.
The gin has been created using botanicals foraged from the area surrounding the iconic peak -some of which include blackcurrants and rowan berries.
Housed in an eye-catching blue/purple bottle, which is inspired by the colours of the local heather in bloom, Ben Lomond Gin is a celebration of the unique flora, fauna and scenery of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.
Priced at £39, you can buy Ben Lomond Gin here.
Picture: Raasay gin
The Isle of Raasay Distillery Gin is the first legal spirit from Raasay, an island rooted in centuries of illicit distilling that is set to also have its own inaugural single malt whisky in 2020.
The new handcrafted gin was launched last month at a special event on the island and is distilled in a Frilli copper pot still using an expert blend of ten botanicals.
The gin is £35 and available to buy here.
Picture: Wild Gin
The latest gin from the Old Curiosity distillery in Edinburgh, Wild Gin is made using herbs native to one of Scotland’s most unique and relatively unknown natural phenomenons, The Flow Country, a vast mass of peat and Sphagnum moss that covers 200,000 hectares in Caithness and Sutherland.
Using this as inspiration, the new gin has been distilled with botanicals from Flow Country, which include sweet cicely, bog myrtle and dwarf birch.
Those looking to try it before its launch in September, head to the Below the Blanket exhibition at Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Gardens.
Picture: Hrafn Gin Fcebook
Formerly Raven gin, this award-winning spirit is described as 'Aberdeenshire's newest gin' and has been made using traditional botanicals and mandarin fruit.
Described as: fresh on the nose, light and smooth on the palate, with a distinctive warm and slightly spicy finish that will linger in the memory, the gin is smooth and moreish, and can be enjoyed as part of a simple G&T garnished with lemon.
Priced at £39, it can be bought here.
Picture: Downpour Gin
Crafted to “capture the spirit of Hebridean Island life”, Downpour, which launched in April, is the first release from North Uist Distillery.
Described as a “bold-flavoured” premium gin, Downpour has been created using Wild Hebridean Heather which has been foraged from across the island.
The distillery team say Downpour will be the only Scottish gin on the market to fully embrace the spirit’s natural clouding effect.
The gin will be priced at £38 per bottle and retailed from the North Uist Distillery website.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0Ra3oLhMTR/
From the team behind 56 North comes this new gin, named after South Loch, which was where Edinburgh's Meadows currently are, and was a place that provided much of the city's drinking water.
After opening 56 North in 2008 and running masterclasses, the team decided to create their own gin and invested in copper stills in 2018.
After experimenting, they finally found something they loved and South Loch Gin was born and launched this year.
Currently there are two flavours - Citrus & Lime Flower Gin and Black Raspberry Old Tom Gin both priced at £34.95 and available to buy here.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0d7ySSgxUI/
Launched at the annual Tiree Music Festival, this island gin has been quietly making waves thanks to it pretty bottle design and distinctive taste.
The botanicals used include locally foraged kelp and a range from the machair ground, found just off the shore of the island's beautiful beaches.
Priced at £34, the gin can be bought online here.
Picture: Ellis Gin
The team behind Glasgow-based Ellis Gin have added the latest gin, the third they’ve released, to their premium gin range.
Ellis Gin No.4 is a pink shimmer gin created using the same base botancials as No.1 by contract distiller Darren Edmond at Illicit Spirits, and is designed by Ellis founder Carol Jackson to be a gin for people who “need a bit of shimmer in their lives”.
Bottled at 40% abv and priced at £29 for 500ml, Ellis Pink Shimmer is available from small independent retailers across Scotland or can be purchased online via the website.
