A visit to Scotland’s smallest whisky distillery

The Scottish Gin Society were warmly welcomed by the team at Strathearn Distillery, based in Bachilton, Perthshire. Surrounded by incredible scenery the distillery is housed in a converted steading and is the smallest whisky distillery in Scotland. Whisky production started here in October 2013, on their gorgeous copper Hoga stills from Portugal (500 and 1000 litres), with their gin following soon after. 

There is no mistaking the amazing trajectory of Scottish gin and arguably Strathearn Distillery has paved the way for some of the best-known brands around, including, of course, Strathearn Scottish Gin and Strathearn Heather Rose Gin. 

Strathearn Distillery produces a number of contract distilled gins, and offers everything from consultation, distillation, through to bottle and labelling, offering a full service for brands.

Due to production demands, they have outgrown Bachilton, and now have a site nearby to facilitate bottling, storage and logistics. However, this growth has done nothing to diminish the hands-on craft aspect of the spirits production.

How do you define ‘craft’ as in craft spirits? This is an argument that has been going on for a while now, but it is true to say that Strathearn embodies craft in all its associated meanings – the team here are dedicated to making the best possible spirits. 

Speaking with Jamie and Zak, who are at the heart of the operation, they were keen to stress that they use Scottish GNS (base spirit), source local botanicals where possible, and use a local design agency for their bottles. The core team is made up of family and the local community – which is incredibly important to the directors.

So, what next for Strathearn? We were lucky to be invited into the NPD meeting, and we can reveal that there are some new and exciting products coming soon, which we’ll keep you updated on. Oh, and it would be rude not to mention that their whisky is soon to be released, and it’s delicious.

Find out more at their website