Arbikie’s newest expression, Haar Wheat Vodka, was announced in late October 2017. Distilled using estate grown Zulu wheat, the palate brings forth an incredible smoothness with subtle hints of caramel and pastry.

Scotland is in fact, a vodka loving nation, it makes up around 35 per cent of our spirit intake - beating both blended whisky (13 per cent) and gin (7 per cent). It is made from pure British grain spirit and a blend of lemon, coriander seed and cassia bark, using the London Dry distillation process. Vodka makes up around 35 per cent of our spirit intake – while both blended whisky (13 per cent) and gin (7 per cent) make up around 20 per cent of the market. Valt is produced for a niche market, with only 20,000 bottles made annually – small fry compared to famous brand Smirnoff, which sells more than 25 million nine-litre cases every year. Mr Christie, a former Speyside distillery managing director, said: "When we sat down and looked at our business plan we were quite modest in our aspirations because the sector of ultra-premium vodkas – we weren't thinking about gins then – is a small one.

It has now been accepted very favourably in the Russian market and the connection is that people think ‘What does Scotland do? It makes great booze!’” Keeping alcoholic beverages in mind, Scottish craft beer and artisanal gin are two fast growing industries. Now Scottish vodka seems to be catching up as producers create bottlings with their unique twist on the spirit. Valt is relying on the marketing muscle of its distributors rather than a big budget of its own – Mr Christie says as much as 40% of the price of a top branded malt whisky could be spent on marketing. Oliver Storrie, director of sales at Valt Vodka, said: “We could not be happier in securing this new listing to supply 40 stores across Scotland with our un-traditional and micro-distilled vodka.

Surely fans of craft beer are familiar with BrewDog. Established in Aberdeen in 2007 by two passionate Scots, BrewDog has since become one of the most successful craft brewing companies in the world. Russia, Poland, Slovakia, Italy and Germany are strong export markets for us although we initially had a lot of resistance in Russia. Holy Grass vodka launched in December 2015. Distilled in Elizabeth (the name of the still), the vodka is infused with the holy grass, also known as Bison grass. Additionally, Highland apples and apple juice are used to complement the vodka’s herbal character.We are kind of reinventing the wheel a bit. It has went from being an expensive hobby to a financially-viable business. Alex Nicol, Co-Founder of Edinburgh Gin, added: “The gin and spirits industry has seen significant growth which we have experienced for ourselves at Edinburgh Gin. We have been crafting the gin renaissance from our distillery in Scotland's capital since 2010, aiding people's modern-day discovery of gin. A big, flavoursome vodka, that may put many in the mind of a whisky, rather than the clear spirit it's intended to be, this is definitely one for fans of robust character and punchy flavour. The term single malt does raise the assumption that the spirit is made from whisky but it is actually made 100 per cent from Scottish-grown malted barley.