Kintyre Botanical Gin
Continuing our features on last years’ top 10 gins as voted for in the 2019 Consumer Choice Awards, we’re delighted to focus on the gin that came second in the poll – Kintyre Botanical Gin
Kintyre Gin is distilled Beinn An Tuirc, in Campbeltown. And it is s very special place. The team at Kintyre Gin are proud to run their distillery with sustainability at the heart of everything they do.
Not only is their copper still (Big Don) powered by their own green and renewable hydro-electric scheme, but local spring water, drawn from the land around the estate, is a key ingredient in the gin itself. Add to that their tree-planting scheme and re-investment of profits into local enterprises and you get the sense of a distillery aiming to be as sustainable as it can be.
Kintyre Gin is bottled in batches that aren’t numbered but named, following the Gaelic alphabet. The gin consists of 12 botanicals, 2 which are unique to Kintyre, namely Icelandic moss and sheep sorrel – both of which grow freely on their estate.
The resulting gin is a true taste of Kintyre described as having earthy and spicy characteristics, being deep in flavour, with a very pleasant floral aroma.
Beinn An Tuirc now produces a range of gins, including a pink gin and a navy strength version. They also offer regular tours and tastings at the distillery and it’s well worth making the trip to the beautiful setting to learn more about how they run this wonderful distillery.
We caught up with Niall and Emma from Kintyre Gin to see what this year holds for them and what they thought about being voted No2 favourite gin by the public in last years’ poll.
– What does 2020 hold for Kintyre Gin?
We have big plans this year! We’ve started converting part of the farmhouse we occupy into a café and we are also constructing a brand-new extension to the building which will become a gin school. We’ve been bowled over by the success of our distillery shop which opened in 2018 and also by the popularity of our gin tours. We hope the café and gin school will encourage many more visitors to our remote part of Scotland.
– What were your biggest achievements in 2019?
There were several! We were delighted to come second in the SGS survey and were also thrilled to receive a Highly Commended award for our marketing campaigns at the Scottish Gin Awards. Closer to home we achieved a long-time ambition of opening a shop in Campbeltown, our nearest town. As well as our own range, we stock a fantastic selection of craft gin from all around the world and also have an impressive selection of craft beers, fine wines and other spirits. It’s wonderful to have a presence in the town and it’s a great base from which to encourage more visitors to visit the distillery.
– What are you (and your team) personally looking forward to this year?
Niall, Emma and the kids are off to New Zealand and Australia in February to see family which is HUGE as they very rarely leave Kintyre! Su and Gareth are looking forward to some peace and quiet while they are gone and Su has custody of Crumble the Labrador in their absence!
– What did it mean to you to be voted in the Top 10 Gins in the 2019 Consumer Choice Awards?
It meant so much to us to come second as we are still relative newcomers to the industry. Also, we are very much a small family run business, so all our marketing and social media is done in house with a tiny budget. To be up there with the big guys felt fantastic and made us feel like we were getting it right.
We have the utmost respect for the team at Kintyre Gin and everything that they stand for. Is Kintyre your favourite Scottish Gin this year? Or one of the hundreds of other choices out there? Your vote matters, so get voting in our poll today!
