‘Kirsty’s Gin’ is the second spirit to be released by Arbikie following the launch of its potato vodka, which was awarded ‘Best Vodka’ at the Paris ‘Cocktail Spirits’ Awards in 2015.
‘Kirsty’s Gin’ is named after Arbikie’s Master Distiller Kirsty Black who has been developing the gin for over two years. The gin embodies elements of the ocean, rock and land, reflecting the estate’s environment - a 2000-acre farm, stretching out to Lunan Bay on the east coast of Scotland.
Kirsty’s Gin sticks to a traditional juniper base, with three traditional Scottish botanics, Kelp, Carline Thistle and Blaeberrys (all of which grow wild in the Angus area). Unlike the majority of gin, which is made from a neutral base spirit, Kirsty’s Gin is distilled from Arbikie’s potato vodka giving the gin an extra smooth and distinctive taste. Also, Arbikie controls the whole process from farm to bottle and does not buy neutral spirit for its botanics to be added to.
The distillery is reviving the traditions of an industry, which took place on the site back in the 18th century. It uses copper pot stills to bring the time-honoured art of Scotch whisky distilling to the production of all its spirits, giving Kirsty’s Gin a comparable quality and depth to Scotch.
Aimed at the discerning gin drinker, Kirsty’s Gin is made to enjoy simply with ice, but is also spectacular as the iconic gin & tonic and in cocktails. It retails at £35 per bottle and is available UK-wide through major retail outlets. Arbikie hopes to eventually eport the gin to key foreign markets such as Spain, North America and Asia as part of its ambitious international expansion plans.
Master Distiller, Kirsty Black. Picture: Arbikie
As one of a handful of female master distillers Kirsty has already achieved a stellar career path. She gained her Masters degree in brewing and distilling with distinction and was also recognised as “best in class” by the Worshipful Company of Brewers. Kirsty has a breadth of industry experience, from her time at the Caledonian Brewery producing Deuchars to helping create Pickerings Gin at a leading micro-brewery. Kirsty was the mastermind behind the award winning Arbikie Vodka and is excited about the release of the gin: “I’m delighted to see two years of hard work culminate in ‘Kirsty’s Gin’.
"I would like to thank all those who helped me along the way in particular Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Botanics and the Forfar Botanists.
"I wanted to create something truly unique with a particular focus on Scottish botanicals, inspired by the environment of the distillery and the Angus region.
"Not many distillers get the chance to have a drink named after them; so I hope all the gin enthusiasts out there enjoy drinking it as much as I enjoyed making it.”
Iain Stirling, Commercial Director, said: “It is great to see yet another stunning drink produced by Kirsty and the team. This is Scotland’s first farm to bottle gin, which further adds to our growing reputation of producing luxury spirits of superior quality and taste.
"We are confident that Kirsty’s Gin will prove a success in the market place and already we are targeting key international markets”
• Arbikie Gin is distributed throughout the United Kingdom by Gordon and MacPhail and is also available from www.arbikie.com. A list of where Arbikie is available in major retail outlets is listed on the distillery website.
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