The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Tattie vodka bottles Scottish spirit
Arbikie Distillery’s Tattie Bogle spirit to go on sale across Atlantic Natural economy provides £29bn boost
A substantial new export deal for an Angus field-to-bottle distillery will see Scotland’s first potato vodka go on sale in Canada.
Family-owned Arbikie Distillery has signed a “substantial” distribution contract with leading Canadian drinks importer, SGWS.
The ingredients for the vodka are all grown on the Stirling family’s 2,000acre Arbikie Estate near Lunan Bay.
Arbikie uses the Maris Piper, King Edward and Cultra varieties of potato
Scotland’s natural economy is worth a fifth of the country’s total output, a new report has claimed.
The study, undertaken by BIGGAR Economics for Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), shows £29.1 billion was added to Scotland’s GDP in 2018 from areas that use, preserve or conserve natural resources or rely on the natural environment.
In the same year, 290,100 people were employed in the natural economy – around 11% of total jobs in Scotland. for their vodka, which is named Tattie Bogle and retails in the UK at around £39 per bottle.
The Stirlings say the potatoes are harvested at the optimum time to maintain their creamy character and give the vodka – ranked one of the best in the world by GQ Magazine – a silky finish.
“We are delighted to have agreed this landmark distribution deal,” said Arbikie director John Stirling.
“Our aim has always been to disrupt the vodka market by highlighting the importance of our base ingredients and how these impact on the flavour profile.”
Mr Stirling said highlighting the field and potato variety used in each batch enabled customers to trace the ingredients used to make their drink.
“The growing desire for provenance and traceability of ingredients is very now and this latest deal reflects this trend,” he added.
Between 2008 and 2018, the report says gross value added (GVA) – the amount added to Scotland’s economy – fell 18%, owing to a drop in energy prices.
When the energy production sector is removed from calculations, the GVA of the natural economy grew by 25%, owing to a rise in the value of tourism and agriculture by 60% and 39% respectively.
Professor Wayne Powell, the principal of SRUC, believes the natural economy could help Scotland recover after the
“Our philosophy has always been about sustainability, innovation and quality, and our global consumers are very much buying into the opportunity to trace the ingredients in their spirits.”
The award-winning distillery produces a range of premium drinks, including the only Scotch rye whisky in the world.
It has also developed a chilli vodka and strawberry vodka and a number of gin brands, including Nadar – a “climate positive” gin made from peas and developed in collaboration with Abertay University and the James Hutton Institute.
Arbikie master distiller Kirsty Black said: “The flavour profile of our vodkas is determined by the ingredients grown on the farm.
“We don’t bolt on the flavour in our spirits, the flavour is determined by the crops grown on the farm.” coronavirus pandemic, which has already caused a 22% drop in GDP since May.
He said a “more integrated approach” to developing the sectors within the natural economy would enhance Scotland’s output by increasing productivity and resilience.
“Such an approach will require a new model of collaboration to deliver the education, research and innovation needs of the natural economy,” added Prof Powell.