World-winning gin is labour of love

Tobermory Gin has won the coveted title of Best Scottish Classic Gin at the highly acclaimed World Gin Awards.

The artisan Hebridean distiller fought off stiff competition to win the category’s top prize despite it being Tobermory’s first gin in its 222-year distilling history.

Distilled in a John Dore & Co copper still in a newly-built gin house at Tobermory Distillery, the Hebridean gin, which was launched just six months ago, is made with 13 hand-selected botanicals including juniper, elderflower and sweet orange peel.

The gin is made using tea grown in the area and a splash of spirit from the Tobermory whisky stills.

Julieann Fernandez, who is master blender at Tobermory Distillery, said: ‘A win of this calibre after only six months of production is absolutely incredible and showcases our wonderful gin on the global stage.

‘The gin is a labour of love, combining experience built up over 200 years with passion and craftmanship to create a stunning product inspired by our expressive natural surroundings.

‘This ethos contributes to every aspect of our identity, from the choice of botanicals to a beautifully designed bottle and delicious ideal serves. It’s like creating a piece of art. With this amount of care and attention from our team, we’re extremely pleased to be recognised by the judges of these esteemed awards.’

The award comes after a very busy 2019 for the gin, having partnered up with Edinburgh

Art Fair to launch the UK’s first ‘fine art crawl’, where consumers took part in guided tours around outlets showcasing pop up galleries of works from artists.

The distillery will see the start of an artist-in-residence programme opening up at its home on Mull later this year.