Raise your glass to Arran gin
Arran Gin could be distilled on the island as early as next year with exciting development plans for a micro-distillery and visitor experience in Brodick.
Other plans include a new Arran Bramble gin liqueur and contemporary new merchandise such as aprons, gin cups and T-shirts.
It has been a busy first year for The Isle of Arran Gin Company, set up by island entrepreneurs Stuart Fraser and George Grassie.
Early sales have achieved much better than expected results on the island, and the team are now lining up UK-wide distribution and even some international export. A restaurant group in Melbourne, Australia, has already placed an order, and the team are talking to contacts in New York and Vancouver.
There is a lot of work to do in this area, but there are very exciting opportunities.
Closer to home, Arran Gin has been supported and is widely sold by almost every hotel, bar and licensed shop on the island. Arran Active has blasted through sales of over 1,500 in just 10 months, and The Bay Stores in Whiting Bay – the current HQ for the company – has hosted several tasting events and promotions, which have helped to spread the word. A C Cameron and Pirnmill stores have been fantastic supporters, making it island-wide retail.
Currently distilled at Glenshee Craft Distillery in Perthshire, the company are keen to produce the spirit on Arran with their new micro-distillery plans.
Stuart said: ‘Connection with our local shops and bars is key to our success. This is a distinctly Arran product, and we need to have shopkeepers and bartenders as our advocates and brand ambassadors. We are not just selling gin, we are selling Arran as a food and drink destination.
‘Recent events such as the two Corrie food festivals have shone a light upon Arran as a home for truly world-class smallscale producers in food and drink. Arran Gin is one of many new businesses on the island offering a contemporary twist on the rural food and drink experience.’
The key difference with Arran Gin, which is now also sold in a 20cl bottle, has been its big taste – a result of the multiple handpicked Arran botanicals from all around the island. Stuart and George are unapologetic about the gin’s big, bold flavours and its distinctiveness. ‘The flavours are born on the island: coastal and mountain.
‘We have some amazing botanicals growing on Arran which, for a range of environmental and climatic reasons are simply bigger and stronger than the same plants on the mainland. Our job is to forage and grow these plants, to ensure we have a true taste of the island in every glass of gin.
‘It has been a chaotic and fun first year in business, and 2019 promises to be real year of opportunity for our group.
‘We just want to take a moment to thank everyone on Arran who has supported us in 2018, and wish you all a healthy, happy Christmas,’ Stuart added.