THE first gin from Dornoch Distillery in Sutherland has been launched.
The brainchild of Phil and Simon Thompson, Thompson Brothers Organic Highland Gin is produced at the micro-distillery in the grounds of their family-owned Dornoch Castle Hotel.
Production at the distillery, which Phil and Simon set up on the back of a crowdfunding drive, began in December 2016, with the brothers initially producing the Experimental Batches: ten different gins which they put out to their investors to sample to decide which gin to put into production.
The result is the 45.7% ABV Thompson Bros Organic Highland Gin – 10% house made spirit, which is said to provide body and texture, and 90% grain neutral spirit infused with Dornoch Distillery’s botanical blend, which includes meadowsweet, elderflower, peppercorns and freeze-dried raspberry.
It’s described as a “fantastic mixing gin” which also works well with traditional mixers.
Thompson Bros gin is available through the Dornoch Distillery website, as well as from Woodwinters, Royal Mile Whiskies, Speciality Drinks and the Good Spirits Co. It has also been exported to countries including Japan, Belgium and Germany.
And while the brothers also laid down spirit for whisky last summer, Phil said the gin isn’t just a stop-gap until that’s ready (in 2020 at the earliest).
“We’re not just doing gin because it’s fashionable, we’re in this for the long-term,” he told SLTN.
“We want to create a sustainable quality brand.”
