Aboyne distillery is toast of the town

It was from a wee shed in his back garden that Peter Dignan turned his family’s secret drink recipe into a spirited venture.

Kept in the family for over 100 years, it was only a matter of time before word spread about Haroosh, the mysterious honey, whisky and bramble liqueur that Peter’s family have enjoyed for generations.

When the secret recipe was finally passed down to Peter, he took the family tradition one step further by setting up a small distilling den from his garden shed.

Demand for the sweet spirit soon outstripped supply, inspiring Peter to team up with his business partner Richard Pierce to open their Lost Loch Spirits distillery in Aboyne.

“A lot of my family worked for distilleries in Dufftown and Tomintoul, so back in the day they would’ve got the whisky from the distillery, and added brambles and honey.

“So I started making batches of 300 at a time in my shed. They sold really quickly so I knew there was a demand for craft drinks.

“Then one night I was sitting having a few pints in the pub with my business partner Richard and we decided to build the distillery.”

Spirited venture

As self-investors with a shared passion for local history and distilling, Peter and Richard had all the right ingredients for success.

“We always wanted to find somewhere which was local to Aboyne purely because it was about being a local business,” said Peter.

Taste of history

True to its name, the Lost Loch Spirits distillery is located on the eastern shore of Loch Achlossan which was drained to assist with the war effort in 1944.

“It’s always good to take a bit of inspiration from history, especially in the landscape across Scotland,” said Peter.

Since launching in 2017, the distillery has taken the spirit world by storm, producing everything from gin to Scotland’s first absinthe.

“When we started the distillery, everyone was making gin. But we wanted to be a bit different so we made our Murmichan absinthe which is a very niche product. It certainly doesn’t have the same appeal as gin but it holds its own.”

Story behind every drink

Taking inspiration from Scotland’s heritage, every product has a story to tell.

“There’s an old story of an Inuit who came to Aberdeenshire on board a whaling ship in the 1830s and his name was Eenoolooapik,” said Peter.

“That story inspired our award-winning eeNoo gin so the artwork on our bottle pays homage to Mr Eenoo.”

The distillery also produces one-off batch creations using natural ingredients.

“One of our experiments was an absinthe aged in Tomintoul whisky casks and that sold out,” said Peter.

Using natural ingredients is something that Peter takes pride in.

“When I can, I always try to work with natural botanicals as you get a much better product.”

Spirit school

Lost Loch Spirits is also home to Aberdeenshire’s first spirit school.

“You can come along and make your own gin, absinthe or botanical spirit,” said Peter.

During lockdown, Lost Loch Spirits remained in demand.

“We also do contract distilling, so we produce drinks for clients.

“Before lockdown we had six clients and that massively increased during lockdown so we embraced that side of the business.”

Toasting success

Four years on and Lost Loch Spirits is stronger than ever with exciting plans for the future.

“We plan to open a gin bar too with events such as a band or DJ once a month,” added Peter.

For more information: lostlochspirits.com

A round of questions with Peter Dignan

Tell us a secret trick of the trade?  

We do a lot of research and development work and the best time to taste developmental products is before breakfast when the palate is clean. My wife is now used to me drinking neat spirits at 7am.

It’s the end of your day – what do you pour yourself?

Cider in the summer and a rum or whisky in the winter.

If you were a drink, what would you be and why?

I would be absinthe – bit mental but good fun.

Most unusual drink you’ve ever tried?

I spent time in Africa and drank Massai brew on a few occasions. It was made from a tree but that’s as much as I can remember. It was definitely unusual and very potent.

What’s the most under-rated drink?

Absinthe, it’s so complex and misunderstood that many people are put off trying it. The absinthe renaissance must be coming soon.

What’s in your drinks cabinet at home?  

Not enough eeNoo gin according to my wife.

Best food and drink pairing?

Keep it simple, nuts or crisps and any drink.

If you were stuck on a desert island, what three drinks would be there with you?

Rum as it’s a desert island, ginger beer to make a dark and stormy and some Irn-Bru for the morning after. The Irn-Bru is to get rid of the hangover and wash the sand off my mouth after drinking too many dark and stormy’s and falling asleep face down on the beach. I have previous for this so know what I’m talking about.

You have to make a drink to represent your local area. What would that be?

I think we already make it. Haroosh is made from Speyside whisky, Deeside honey and brambleberries from Angus.

You have to serve your favourite superhero or celebrity a drink. Who is it and what do you serve?

Elon Musk, I would serve him multiple eeNoos. Once drunk enough I would get him to book me a seat on his spaceship and invest in a nice new-build whisky distillery.