The Scottish gin scene has experienced a big increase since gin’s popularity skyrocketed a few years ago.
Still continuing to ride the curve, the Scottish gin category is now home to more than 450 different gins crafted by brands across the country.
To celebrate International Scottish Gin Day this Saturday (October 7), we have listed some of the gin brands leading the way in the industry — both old and new.
Organised by The Gin Cooperative, International Scottish Gin Day will see a series of events take place online, with bars across the world also getting involved too.
Orkney Gin Company
Handcrafting their spirits, Orkney Gin Company uses the bathtub method to make their gins, distilling them seven times to ensure the highest quality.
The family business does everything by hand, meaning each bottle truly is a labour of love.
Rock Rose Gin
Crafted by the team at Dunnet Bay Distillery in Caithness, Rock Rose Gin is one of the leading Scottish gins.
Launching a refill rewards club, the brand, which is well-known for its white ceramic bottle with wax top, offers customers the chance to purchase recyclable pouches that can easily be sent via the post.
Seven Crofts
The Highland Liquor Company in Ullapool is the firm behind Seven Crofts, and uses a small copper alembic still to create its botanical and grain spirit.
Seven Crofts also boasts an experimental series and also released Loopallu, a gin to mark the start of the 14th Loopallu Festival.
Inshriach
Located in the Speyside area, this gin is handcrafted in the Inshriach Distillery which won Channel 4’s Shed of the Year back in 2015.
Producing a range which includes the original at 43% and the navy strength at 57%, the gin is now produced at Inshriach House in the Cairngorms National Park. They produce a range of liqueurs, too.
Raasay Gin
The first legal spirit to be made on the island, Isle of Raasay Gin is handcrafted by using handpicked juniper which is found on Raasay.
A zesty dry gin, it sits at 46% ABV and is triple distilled to give it that smooth, high-quality taste.
57˚ Skye earth + sea London Dry Gin
57˚ Skye earth + sea London Dry Gin celebrates the Isle of Skye, the largest island in the Inner Hebrides archipelago.
The name 57˚ Skye earth + sea is inspired by the Skye-based MacDonald clan whose motto is ‘on sea and on land’.
Founders, Séamus Ó Baoighill, a highly respected Gaelic musician, and distiller, Seumas Gorman, both grew up on the island and wanted a name that reflected their strong Scottish heritage.
Lussa Gin
Made on the remote Isle of Jura on the west coast of Scotland, Lussa Gin is the brainchild of three friends — Alicia MacInnes, Claire Fletcher and Georgina Kitching — who came together over their love of the island and the juniper-based spirit.
It is 42% ABV and 15 local botanicals are used in the making of the gin.
Sutors Gin
Based in the Highlands, Sutors Gin was years in the making and created from scratch at its distillery premises in Tain.
Working with local farmers, the business has a say in the development of the grain they use for their base spirit, ensuring they have control over every ingredient included in the gin-making process.
It it bottled at 45.4% and boasts a long spiced finish.
The Teasmith Gin
Husband and wife team Nick and Emma Smalley use Ceylon tea leaves in The Teasmith Gin‘s original recipe and have also used Scottish tea leaves in a range of its other products in its Growers Edition to date, too.
Based in Udny in Aberdeenshire, the company uses a contract distiller to create its product. Every bottle is hand labelled at the family’s home and the brand is inspired by the tea trade which was linked to Aberdeen and Sri Lanka in the 19th Century.
Tobermory Hebridean Gin
This Hebridean Gin comes from the island’s only whisky distillery which was established in 1798. Tobermory is well-known for the stunning coloured houses lining the waterfront, which also features in the design of the Tobermory Hebridean Gin bottle.
Adding a splash of spirit from the whisky stills, this 43.3% ABV gin features juniper, tea, heather, elderflower and sweet orange peel throughout.
Isle of Harris Gin
The Isle of Harris Gin is one of Scotland’s best known juniper-based products. Made with sugar kelp which is sustainably harvested by the company’s own sugar kelp diver, the brand has continued to grow in popularity over the years due to its high-quality gin and decorative bottle.
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