Wild Juniper Gin, Kinrara Distillery

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Bottle of Kinrara Distillery Estate Juniper Edition Wild Juniper gin

Without juniper, there’s no gin. It’s the one continuous aspect of the spirit we love that makes up its heart and soul. So much so that it’s the law for something to be called ‘gin’ it has to have juniper as its predominant flavour (and have a minimum strength of 37.5% ABV).

Kinrara Distillery, based in the heart of the Cairngorms national park in Scotland, really want to make it the star of the show and not just a legal necessity or tick box exercise with their Estate Juniper Edition Wild Juniper gin. While most British gins feature juniper from places across continental Europe, Kinrara have only used juniper berries foraged from the picturesque area around the Aviemore distillery for this gin.

Junipalooza 2021

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Thunderflower Gin at Junipalooza 2021

Everyone’s favourite gin festival is back after a pandemic-induced year off! Junipalooza from Spirits Society brings together gin makers and fans and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in again at the events’ home in Tobacco Dock. This was my first year attending more than one session, taking on both the first session on Saturday and returning for my usual Sunday session too. Being able to pace things a bit more gently while getting used to seeing people in real life again was a big help and meant that I could take more time with each distiller, getting to know more about what they’re doing and why.

Biggar Gin: a conversation with founders Stuart and Euan McVicar

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Biggar gin: plum gin, original, and biggar strength

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.

Nàdar climate positive gin, Arbikie Distillery

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Arbikie Nàdar climate positive gin

I’m proud to support International Scottish Gin Day, and this year I’m continuing my support by taking a closer look at a few of Scotland’s incredible variety of distilleries and their gins. Nàdar means ‘nature’ in gaelic, and with this gin Arbikie Distillery near Arbroath on the east coast of Scotland, have created the world’s first climate positive gin – taking more carbon in, that it puts out.

Rosé Sainte Marie Salcombe gin

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Rosé Sainte Marie Salcombe Gin

Rosé Sainte Marie is the latest release from South Devon’s Salcombe gin distillery. The rosé gin joins the star-studded line-up of incredible gins they’ve produced; from the flagship Start Point gin (a favourite of mine) to the collaborative Voyager series gins created together with chefs Michael Caines MBE, Mark Hix MBE, Monica Galetti, and port producer Dirk Niepoort.