The Biggar Gin Co, founded by brothers Stuart and Euan McVicar in 2018, has been on my radar for a while. Its bold eye-catching typography, and rave reviews had drawn me in so I was really excited to be introduced to Stuart as part of my support of International Scottish Gin Day.
While I was gifted a Biggar Gin glass and mug as part of my collaboration, this has in no way affected the views in this blog.
Based in the Scottish town of Biggar, Stuart and Euan currently produce three gins: the original Biggar Gin, Biggar Strength Gin, their Clyde Valley Plum Recipe Gin. With the original Biggar Gin you very clearly get juniper and orange on the nose before you even go in to taste it. Then, when you do try it neat you also get this herbaceous layer and a little spice as you feel the robust flavours coming through. Great in a G&T, but also in a White Lady cocktail which really stood out to me on their website (having not made one before) and tasted deliciously light and citrusy.
Rather than going doing the typical Sloe Gin route that many distilleries travel down, Biggar have created something that is uniquely theirs in that fruit gin space with their Clyde Valley Plum Recipe Gin. On the nose it’s obviously fruity and sweet, but not in an excessive way – it smells delicate and warming. To taste, it’s actually much less sweet than I had expected and is a beautiful sipping gin just with some ice. I couldn’t help experimenting again though, and drawn in by Biggar’s own recipe I chose to make a Bee’s Knees cocktail which really balanced perfectly with the sweetness of the honey, and the sourness from the lemon together with the fragrant warmth and delicate sweetness from the gin.
Biggar Strength is the navy strength creation at 57%, but you really wouldn’t know it. Some gins at that ABV really punch you, especially if you’re tasting them neat, but here the flavours are so wonderfully balanced that it is remarkably smooth and easy to drink. I’d heard from fellow bloggers and gin fans how perfectly it worked in a negroni, and not only was I not disappointed, when paired with Cocchi di Torino vermouth and Victory Bitters it made for one of my favourite ever negroni combinations.
I couldn’t wait to find out more about Biggar Gin and the ‘Biggar mentality’ behind it so I caught up with founders Stuart and Euan…
What got you and your brother into making gin together?
Biggar Gin was born from a late night conversation over a number of Scottish gins in October 2016 while we were on a family holiday to Arran celebrating our mother’s 70th birthday. We loved the range and expression of new Scottish gins; we also love high quality spirits. We wanted to explore whether we could create something that was top quality and reflected our locality. Within 4 weeks of that conversation we were on a distilling course and we have never really looked back since then.
You talk about the ‘Biggar mentality’ reflecting the passion, admission and taste of your gin – why is that mentality important to you?
A sense of place is key to our gins. All our gins feature local botanicals and flavours. We also wanted to reflect the character and ethos of our town in our gin though. It’s a town that values history and tradition but likes to be innovative; it’s a town that values its independent businesses and above all although it’s small it punches above its weight. We have tried to bring all of these values to our approach.
The launch of your Biggar Strength release this year was met with much excitement, and has since been recognised by picking up a silver award at the prestigious London Spirits Competition alongside a bronze for your original gin. Was a navy strength something you always wanted to create from the start and how has the reception to it felt?
A good quality Navy strength has always been part of the vision. We and so many of our customers love what a good navy can bring to classic cocktails. We are really pleased with the Biggar Strength. Finalising it and launching it during full lock-down was somewhat challenging and we couldn’t do all the tastings and other things we would normally do to support a new gin however we were blown away with the feedback and reviews we received. The first batch sold out very quickly indeed and we were soon taking pre-orders on the next batch.
With Biggar Gin’s 2nd birthday earlier this year, it’s exciting to hear that you’re building a new distillery. Could you let us know a bit more about it and how it’s getting on?
The new distillery is coming along well. It was something else that was made more difficult by lockdown. Pre-lockdown we had the foundations dug but not much else but were ready to start the next stages just as construction restrictions kicked in. It has taken a while to get back on track and get all the materials to the site at the right time but we are almost completed the major part of the build now. It has been very exciting to see it taking shape. The distillery site is situated within the existing grounds at BGHQ [Biggar Gin HQ] and it fits beautifully into the landscape. It is surrounded by the botanicals we grow on the three acre site: rowan, hawthorn, rose hip and nettles. It’s not huge but we think it shouts out Biggar Mentality! We can’t wait to get it commissioned.
You’ve got loads of great cocktail recipes on your site, what’s your favourite cocktail to make with your gins and why?
I must admit in our house the White Lady and the Bees Knees are favourites for the Original and Plum gins – perhaps only one or two in the one sitting though!
As for the Navy strength – we feel it really lends itself well to a Negroni, Martini or Gibson – however if picking one it would have to be the Negroni.
Bee’s Knees with Clyde Valley Plum Recipe Gin 
White Lady with Biggar Gin
Why is International Scottish Gin Day important and what other Scottish gins are your favourites?
There is a lot to celebrate about Scottish Gins and the Scottish Gin scene. International Scottish Gin Day is a great way to showcase what is going on and raise awareness about Scottish Gin but also to involve lots of different people who are passionate about Scottish Gin. It’s not just about the gin producers but about the wider community and we love that. Right now we are enjoying Downpour and Beinn an Turic’s Legbiter.
What’s next in store for Biggar Gin?
Number one priority is commissioning the distillery and when we can celebrating with the people that have helped make that happen. There are always some interesting experiments going on here and you should see some interesting new products coming soon!
International Scottish Gin Day is 2 October 2021, how will you be joining in?
Read my other blogs about fellow Scottish gins Isle of Harris Gin, Arbikie’s Nadar Gin, and Snawstorm Gin…