Would you try this Aberdeenshire gin inspired by the Scottish dish stovies?

By Julia Bryce

November 22 2022, 5:00 pm

One of the Marshall's Farm Shop and Kitchen team with neeps grown in their fields. Image: Little Brown Dog Spirits

While the marriage of stovies and gin doesn’t exactly sound like one that should work, one Aberdeenshire distiller is aiming to prove sceptics wrong by launching a spirit inspired by the Scottish dish.

Little Brown Dog Spirits based near Fetternear, Kemnay, will release their annual experimental series gin for 2022 this Thursday (November 24).

Teaming up with local business Marshall’s Farm Shop and Kitchen to produce the spirit, the creation will use carrots, neeps and beetroot that have been grown by the farm.

Oats from the field beside the distillery grown by the two man team from Little Brown Dog have also been distilled with roasted juniper and black pepper to make the liquid.

Andrew Smith, right, and Chris Reid of Little Brown Dog Spirits. Inverurie. Image: Andrew Morton/DC Thomson

Each year the distiller produces a one-off release based on a specific theme or idea, and this year, they have focused on the Scottish staple which is usually made up of potatoes, vegetables and in most cases meat. However meat has not been used in the making of the gin.

Just 300 bottles of the 50cl 45.5% ABV gin will be available from a range of stockists that include Inverurie Whisky Shop, Aberdeen Whisky Shop and a range of national online retailers that can be found here.

The stovies-inspired gin. Image: Little Brown Dog Spirits

Little Brown Dog Spirits founder Andrew Smith says the oats will give a creamy texture to the spirit while the root vegetables add herbaceous fresh flavours.

Using their 10-litre still to perfect the recipe, it took five trial runs to finalise the gin before it was then scaled up and produced in two runs in the bigger 100l still.

But why stovies gin?

Andrew says the winter Scottish dish is iconic and while it is easy to make, most of the ingredients can be grown in Aberdeenshire.

He added: “Obviously there’s no meat in the gin and that’s usually a fundamental ingredient in stovies, but instead we roasted the juniper to give that rich flavour and so our gin is suitable for vegans.

Some of the Marshall’s Farm Shop and Kitchen team members in the firm’s field with produce. Image: Little Brown Dog Spirits

“The purpose of the gin was to showcase Aberdeenshire produce, farming and the countryside, so it made sense to partner with someone who shares those values. In their farm shop many of the products are local and the distance from producer to shop is listed, much like how we geotag our ingredients.

“It has been an absolute pleasure to work with another Aberdeenshire business, especially one with such a commitment to showcasing local produce as Marshall’s.”

The new gin, priced at £35, will be launched on Thursday (November 24) at Marshall’s Farm Shop evening market where those attending will have a chance to taste it.