Gintelligence with...Fiona Holland

On the fringes of the historic cathedral city of Elgin, not far from the River Lossie, is Moray Distillery Ltd, the home of AVVA Gin.

The brainchild of owner and distiller Jill Brown, AVVA Gin first burst onto the market in 2016 and is among a small number of Scottish gins which produces its own base spirit, later combining it with a selection of local and traditional botanicals.

Formerly an agricultural officer with the Scottish Government, Jill gave up the day job in 2015 to establish the distillery – as well as being close to distilling royalty in Speyside, her small operation was the first in the UK to launch with a Scottish hand-made still.

Named Jessie-Jean after Jill’s grandmothers and fondly known as J-J, the 250 litre still was custom created by Speyside Copper Works and is at the heart of this thoroughly original spirit.

The name AVVA continues this matriarchal influence within Jill’s brand, meaning grandmother or elder woman in the Indian language of Dravidian.

An elegant apothecary style bottle, which has now become quite a well-kent shape within the gin market, is topped with a wooden stopper.

The satisfying pop of removing the cork suddenly gives way to a real whoosh of fruity florals overlaying an unmistakeable juniper-led base with a background hint of spice.

It is summery, fresh and inviting on the nose and you get the first hints of some of the local botanicals which help to make up this well-round offering.

Unlike some gins, where the nose promises great things and the first drop on the tongue does not deliver the same flavours, AVVA Original offers up strong fruitiness, particularly citrus – feels like a burst of satsumas – the gentle caress of local rowan and clover, finished off with a spicy background.

It is unmistakeably a classic London dry gin and fills the mouth with its complex and well-rounded flavours.

I used a one to one mix of Fever Tree Naturally Light and no garnish. The distillery recommends a classic sliver of lime, but, quite honestly, with the already punchy citrus holding its own, I just didn’t feel it was necessary. It went down a treat.

Many people are wary of drinking neat gin and it’s oh so easy to reach for the tonic, but I actually loved this one just poured generously over ice and sipped with no additions.

On to the 57.2 per cent ABV Navy strength (Jill likes 2s, hence the rather odd percentage) and there’s always a soupcon of trepidation as one approaches this hefty level of alcohol.

Made with the same botanicals, it is surprisingly mellow on the nose, still promising the same orangey zing, but with the spice less evident and the florals more of an after-note – there is also, however, a tiny hint of vanilla.

Diving in to the neat spirit and the fruity flavours pop on your tongue along with the woody juniper leaving a lovely oily coating in your mouth. Unlike the Original, it does have quite a punch at the back of one’s mouth and I have to say it slightly made my nose tingle and eyes prickle.

But a drop of tonic, on this occasion, makes all the difference.

Again, I didn’t muddle this cocktail with any garnish and went with the same dilution proportions as the original. And what a surprise – the slightly fierce tiger became a rather sweet pussycat, with the florals, for the first time, becoming the prominent edge, followed by the fruit. It definitely has more of a honeyed heart to it than the Original and the heavy juniper fits in happily around it.

Paradoxically, it is surprisingly light in a rather robust way – soft and gentle with lovely tones of summer fruits like plum and strawberry.

In both gins, the authenticity of production and distillation comes to the fore and the rewards are two complex, inviting and well-rounded concoctions. If I were forced to pick one over the other, it would be a neat shot of the original with plenty of ice, but I’d certainly be more than happy to follow it up with its stronger sister.