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

Founded in 2015, Esker was established to embrace innovation and produce spirits that deliver a real taste experience to the consumer, starting with gins that are complemented by mixers and garnish, not defined by them. Try these two in a Negroni. Makar Mulberry Aged, the sweet, smoky flavour quietly cuts through the Campari and really makes for a super enjoyable and very easy-to-drink Negroni. Next up is the slightly sweeter Garden Shed Côte-Rôtie Aged Gin. This is aged in an old wine barrique. This, honestly, is one of the best Negroni gins I have found. There are perfumed floral notes up-front mixed with the dry, fruity notes of pear and peach. Then vanilla, cinnamon, juniper, angelica and pine blossom finish the gin and make the taste linger."

In a traditional pot-still, the gorse loses a little of the coconut aroma but the process creates some incredible fresh-cut hay and caramelised toffee flavours. Like all good spirits, it’s about balance; one flavour shouldn’t overwhelm the rest – gorse petals provide a lovely sweet, round counterpoint to the juniper, orange citrus and spice in our gin. I’m really proud of the result. As the restoration project continues, the team welcomes you to indulge in a drink and share their journey and will open as a venue for weddings and events later this year. For winter, try The Wee Farm Drover’s Gin with spiced orange ginger ale. This has a lovely, sweet warmth that would be unreal on a winter night. Again, a simple 2:1 ratio and garnish with a dried orange wheel to smash in some extra sweetness. Aberdeen City gave rise to one of the most notable clippers to sail the seas. One of those ships, The Thermopylae was launched in 1868 and on its first trip set speed records on her way to Melbourne via Shanghai and Foochow. This vessel played a fundamental role in opening up trade routes with the Far East – and one of the key items they returned with was tea.

This tasty looking gin has just opened its doors. For many years there has been only one gin distillery on Orkney; at the end of this year we will have three. Hand-in-hand with the explosion of craft gins and premium tonics over last few years, there has been a sharp rise in the use of creative gin garnishes. With gin brands and gin fans choosing to embellish their favourite tipple with everything from pink grapefruit to frozen asparagus tips (yes asparagus!) the days of the humble “ ice & slice” appear to be a distant memory.

With gin drinking I tend to be drawn to more floral gins, or those which feature grapefruit/pink grapefruit as I enjoy the softness which it brings to the drink.Or try… grapefruit slice and thyme. The grapefruit adds colour and fragrance while the earthy thyme offsets the citrus in the gin perfectly. It’s great to see Kirkjuvagr are investing a lot in Orkney; they are going to open an artisan distillery, visitor centre and shop on Kirkwall’s Ayre Road, the official opening is planned for next spring. The gin reflects the life they live in the hills; first up, however, you have to meet Panza, the chocolate Labrador who is the CEO (well he likes to think he is!).

The latest addition from Tiree Whisky Company (the team behind Tyree Gin), Hebridean Pink Gin is distilled and bottled on the Isle of Tiree, the outermost of the Inner Hebridean islands.

A plant which provides such an important habitat and source of food for our natural fauna and which is so versatile in culinary use deserves to be celebrated. Just remember to take some gloves if you want to try it yourself!” 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.