Esker Gin – Premium Scottish Highland Dry Gin | 42% ABV, 70cl Bottle | Distilled in Aberdeenshire with Locally Sourced Silver Birch Sap, Pink Peppercorns, and Rosehip | Ideal for Negroni and Martini

Product Information

Hebridean Pink Gin is distilled with juniper, raspberries and sweet peels. The stunning bottle was designed by Glasgow based design agency, O Street, and the striking design certainly catches the eye.

The team at Kirkjuvagr worked closely with the Agronomy Institute of the UHI (University of the Highlands and Islands) to create a blend of local botanicals. The advantage of having a farm on a hill is that they have a wide variety of terrain; from grassland to heatherland, and from forests to bogland. Using naturally sweet botanicals, this delicious spirit could save gin lovers up to 600 calories per bottle compared to standard flavoured gins.

The family-run business is seemingly determined to be trail-blazing in the ever-expanding world of Scottish Premium Gin. Remember the point of garnishing a gin is to enhance the drink. Don’t garnish for garnish sake. And remember as well as tasting with our eyes and mouths… we also use our noses. The silver birch sap on its own is clear and uncoloured. It is slightly sweet, with a distinctively silky texture. In Esker gins, it complements the other botanicals to give our gins their characteristic mouth-feel.” Kirkjuvagr Gin will be distributed through specialist retailers later this year, with an online shop planned also. In addition to Esker Gold, the range also includes the Silverglas gins – a light, fresh London dry, and two fruit gins, Scottish Raspberry Gin and Valencian Orange Gin. The fruit gins are made with real fruit, not syrups or cordials. “It’s a lot of work, but worth it for the end product”, Lynne adds.

Edinburgh Seaside Gin is my favourite of the Edinburgh collection. It has an almost soft, chalky mouthfeel and a sherbety sweetness to it which I find really scrummy. It also makes a great martini! The distillery is based on the Kincardine Estate on Royal Deeside in Aberdeenshire. The gins are produced in copper stills using over a dozen botanicals, including heather, citrus and spice. Factoid: Apparently between 75 per cent to 95 per cent of a gin’s flavour profile is based on smell. I’ll honestly drink any type of gin (with the exception of something ridiculously sweet). The only thing I look for is something quite “ginny”. After that I’m not too fussy. Although if the gin is overly flavoured, I don’t tend to enjoy it too much. For example, I have one from a gin club that I found to be too overpowering with rose and I literally cannot drink it. It’s not a Scottish Gin, though, so don’t worry! Simon has been using his expert knowledge to host gin nights all over the country, and he knows what goes into a truly great gin.

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This would be a great place to buy a gift for someone who wishes to invest in local businesses that take responsibility for the impact their trading has on the environment.