Ice and slice or some sugar kelp seaweed?
Seaweed is the not-so-secret ingredient in Scotland’s newest gin.
The Isle of Harris gin distillery only opened last October.
Established to boost employment in the Outer Hebrides, it was set up to produce a single malt whisky called The Hearach – Gaelic for a native of Harris.
But with four years till the first expected batch of whisky, the team of locals decided to try their hand at gin production.
And their Isle of Harris gin, infused with a local type of seaweed, has proved such a hit that they’re battling to keep up with demand.
MD Simon Erlanger, a former Glenmorangie director, said: “We’re the first legal distillery on the Isle of Harris and we have some time available while the whisky is maturing.
“We wanted it to stand out from the crowd because so many people have started making gin.”
With the help of an ethnobotantist – someone who studies plants and people – they identified a seaweed called sugar kelp, which is hand-cut from the seabed, then used to infuse the gin with its flavour. Simon said: “We don’t sell through shops. We sell online and each bottle goes out with a handwritten note. It’s about being part of island life.
“I think Scots have taken gin to heart because we’re used to drinking good single malts. We’re likely to be more appreciative of quality gin.”
Meanwhile, Watenshi, the world’s most expensive gin, went on sale last year at the sobering price of £2000 a bottle.
Produced by Cambridge Distillery, the Japanese gin is made by a unique technique using air pressure levels less than half those at the summit of Everest and temperatures colder than the South Pole.
It’s believed to capture the elusive “angel’s share” of alcohol traditionally lost to evaporation.
Only 36 bottles are made every year and six are released in the UK for sale exclusively at Selfridges.