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here’s something about gin that captures the essence of modern Scotland. It feels fresh and fun, but it’s crafted with patience and precision. Each brand has its own signature taste and ingredients, and the flavours that define them are a drinkable celebration of the flora and wild places that make this country unique. Whisky may have several centuries’ head start in the race to capture the hearts and palettes of visitors, but gin is catching up fast. And it’s no wonder. The essential ingredients are all here – clear, clean, natural water and a unique range of botanicals (the herbs, berries, seeds or roots that give each bottle its distinctive flavour). West Highland distillers aim to make the taste of a local gin the essence of the place it came from, and when that place is a shady glen bursting with blaeberries, or a machair-clad Hebri-
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dean island, you are onto something special. Lockdown may have put temporary pause on production and visits, but the gin boom is back, with specialist gin distilleries opening and re-opening across Scotland in summer 2021. There are now more than 100 distilleries here, up from only a handful two decades ago, and more are set to open in prime locations shortly. Gin’s success story is driven by people with a passion for their product and the place it comes from, and accelerated by the fact that this is a drink that lends itself to innovation – from the creation of a new cocktail to the novelty of a colour that changes when you add tonic. The same innovative approach was showcased by the fact that several west coast distilleries diverted their resources to produce hand sanitsers during last year’s lockdown. While taste is always the top prior-
ity, a bottle of gin from one of Scotland’s premier distillers is a gift with a lifespan long after the last drop has been drunk. Premier distillers ensure their liquor stands out with exquisitely designed bottles which are increasingly popping up as features in interior décor, whether a lampshade made from a ridged Harris gin bottle, or a vase splashed with the bright colours of Colonsay’s Wild Island. Gin also provides a platform for whisky distilleries, especially new ones, as it can be produced much more quickly,
so provides an opportunity for businesses to start building a reputation – and a return on investment – before their whisky is mature. If you’ve never drunk gin before, this is the place, and the season, to discover it. And whether your preference turns out to be for a gin cocktail, iced G&T, or simply by itself, now is the time to toast gin’s future.
