At the risk of sounding like the dreaded h word, I drank gin _before _it was cool. My love affair with gin began about ten years ago when I was looking for for a healthy alcohol (well, as healthy as alcohol can be) that didn’t contain too many calories and turn my head into a raging inferno the following morning.
I discovered the classic g&t and fell in love with its light fresh taste and lack of hangover the following morning (unless you drink a daft amount of course). The rest of the world caught on and now not only is gin a staple in every style bar in the UK, it’s undergone a reinvention, with craft gin and distilleries popping up on a regular basis all accompanied by stylish branding and slick websites.
Back in the day I was happy with a dash of tonic, slice of lemon and whatever decent gin happened to be available behind the bar. However, maturity and experience have broadened my horizons to the number of quality gins on the market and the real revelation has been how many of them are from Scotland. In fact 70% of all gin in the UK is from north of the border.
Scottish gin
Scottish gins are continuously pushing the boundaries and changing expectations of what a gin can do. We have gins created using locally foraged botanicals, we have a gin that contains Lebanese mint, we have a gin that is distilled on the same pot still as malt whisky. As James from gin bar 56 North in Edinburgh said in a recent 5pm Blog: “We’ve (Scotland) got a rich background of distilling and brewing malt whisky and beer and that experience relates beautifully to our gins.”
I asked a number of Scottish gin producers to send me a sample of their gin along with a recommended serving and recruited fellow 5pm gin lovers Ricky and Nikki to try them with me. Our experiment was eye opening: not only to the difference a high quality tonic and the right garnish can make, but to the world of Scottish gins which are right on our doorstep.
Here’s what we discovered.
Hendrick’s
From: Girvan in South Ayrshire.
USP: Hendrick’s changed the shape of the gin market when they introduced their cucumber theme in 1998 which led to a generation of gins exploring more aromas and flavours.
Recommended serving: With a cucumber garnish.
What we thought:
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Shetland Reel
From: Shetland.
USP: Made in Shetland’s only distillery which is in Unst, the most north island in the UK. The apple mint that is in the gin is harvested in Unst.
Recommended serving: Two parts Shetland Reel, two parts tonic, two slices of Kiwi Fruit.
What we thought:
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Hop Gin
From: St Andrews, Fife.
USP: Craft Brewer Eden Mill have built a micro distillery in St Andrews which houses Scotland’s only brewery and distillery. Eden Mill work with St Andrew’s Botanical Gardens to forage botanicals with the intention of releasing a range of small batch locally produced seasonal gins based on different botanicals available at different times of year.
Recommended serving: With lemon.
What we thought:
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Rock Rose
From: Dunnet Bay, Caithness.
USP: Heralds a new vintage each year as local botanicals are dependent on climate so will subtly change year on year.
Recommended serving: With orange garnish.
What we thought:
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Pickering’s
From: Edinburgh
USP: Based in an original Bombay recipe kept secret since 1947, the key to Pickering’s smoothness is the custom designed bain-marie heating system which provides a gentle but thorough heat to the still which means the botanicals simmer long enough to coax out their subtle, soft flavour.
Recommended serving: 50ml gin, tonic and a slice of pink grapefruit or lemongrass.
What we thought:
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Daffy’s
From: Edinburgh.
USP: Distilled in the same manner as malt whisky on an ancient single batch copper pot still. Includes Lebanese mint and a rare variety of lemons.
Recommended serving: With a slice of lime and sprig of mint to garnish.
What we thought:
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The Botanist
From: Islay.
USP: Includes 31 botanicals, 21 of which grew on Islay including the juniper. Distilled in a low pressure Lomond pot still as this process helps release the aromatics from the botanicals.
Recommended serving: No recommended serve. They believe the quality, depth and complexity of their liquid allows people to be really creative and to explore much more about gin than one set serve restricts them to.
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Gin information from the Gin Club Scotland website.