OUR BOTANICALS
​
A superior gin begins with Juniper.
In fact, if you don't have juniper...well, you have vodka! In order for a gin to qualify as such, it must have juniper and it must be at least 37.5% abv. A craft gin is normally a minimum of 40%. We often refer to Juniper as a berry but, in fact, juniper 'berries' are very small cones, each one retaining rich essential oils, which we carefully extract during the distillation process to create our gin.
NOSTALGIN
In choosing our main botanicals, we tried to capture the transformation people describe when making their short ferry journey from Largs to Cumbrae; an instant lifting of stress, to a feeling of calm serenity. Our first thought was lavender. Our intention in using lavender is to awaken your senses with something fresh and light, to make you take notice of the ocean and the mountains surrounding you.
We’ve paired the distinctive taste of lavender with ripe, fresh bramble, a berry that dominates our island coast in September and is an abundant local resource for our gin. Its complex flavours mirror the transformation, taking you from an awakening of the senses to a feeling of utter peace and calm. Finally, we chose a hint of sweet orange to complement the lavender and blackberry, to add a juicy, rich and flavourful blend to the main botanicals. We topped our recipe off with a dash of noble Scottish thistle and a smidgen of heather, considered to bring good luck and protection.
TASTING NOTES
Nose: Floral, fruit, citrus
Palate: Lavender, bramble, orange, juniper Finish; Fresh with citrus tang
PERFECT POUR
Nostalgin is best served with a light tonic and a slice of orange
CROC ROCK
We all love the Croc and felt no botanical could better represent our affection than cacao, the main ingredient in dark chocolate…we are happy to report that none of the calories get transferred. Cacao’s antioxidant potential has a range of health benefits including reducing stress levels. A weekend in Millport and a bottle of our gin; it’s exactly what the doctor ordered!
When the smooth silky taste of chocolate meets the bright zesty notes of orange in a bottle of gin, no two flavours hit it off better, the bittersweet astringency of the cacao complementing the sweet robust orange in a perfect balance. And finally, we chose stem ginger as our final feature botanical, because crocodiles do have the potential to bite. Cooked slowly in syrup to give a warm richness, fresh citrusy aromas and a slight kick of heat, ginger creates an exotic, gentle warmth to the finish.
TASTING NOTES
Nose: Sweet, warm, citrus
Palate: Chocolate, ginger, orange, juniper Finish: A slight kick of heat and an exotic, gentle warmth to the finish
PERFECT POUR
Croc Rock Gin is best served with a light tonic and a slice of orange or ginger
RESTORATION GIN
Restoration Gin’s is a limited release gin commemorating the restoration of the heart of our community - Millport’s historic town hall. We thought long and hard about which botanicals would best tell the story and the first one we chose was pineapple. The pineapple is the symbol of hospitality and is considered an expression of welcome and celebration, which we felt was a perfect fit for the Town Hall story.
We also loved the marriage of pineapple with another exotic fruit, mango. Symbol of love and happiness, the Mango encourages us to remember and honour happy moments in our childhood and in our life to rejuvenate the soul; it signals a period of returning to our past to reconnect with friends, family and places; it reminds us to focus on happy times. The final botanical we have included is Elderberry. Known for its fragrant white flowers and glossy purple berries, the noble elder was believed to be magical and the ancient Celts believed that the tree protected us from negative influences and symbolized good health and prosperity. The elder tree is connected with the circle of life, death and rebirth. And we felt this botanical really captured the restoration of Millport Town’s Hall, which had a full and vibrant life from its birth in 1878, a death with its closure and now we celebrate a rebirth with its restoration
TASTING NOTES
Nose: Deep and fruity
Palate: Pineapple, mango, juniper and slight peppery tones Finish; Fresh with rich fruit flavours
PERFECT POUR
Restoration Gin is best served with a light tonic and a slice of pineapple or orange
MAURA
Maura is inspired by Scotland's history, by local tales and legends, and by the coastal landscapes and glistening waters of the West Coast. Our botanicals feature delicate wildflowers and berries of Scotland's West Coast. We also selected botanicals whose origins are rooted in female folklore.
Raspberry is the essence of the Feminine. Tempting with her sweet taste, she is also potent and powerful, with a provocative aftertaste that both surprises and delights.
We married the tantalizing raspberry with the sweet and tasty Scottish blaeberry, symbolizing an optimistic future, good health, inner peace, and satisfaction in life. We also added sweet red clover. The leaves of a four-leaf clover are said to represent faith, hope, love and luck; and finally we added elderflower, whose flowers symbolise physical and emotional healing and wards off evil spirits.
TASTING NOTES
Nose: light and fruity.
Palate: Raspberry, Blaeberry, juniper;
notes of orange and grapefruit
Finish: Fresh with a smooth fruit finish
PERFECT POUR
Maura is best served with a light tonic and a slice of orange or pink grapefruit
OUR TARTANS
When we set out to design our label, we knew we wanted something that would scream 'Scotland' - what better way than with a tartan! All of our gins sport original tartans that have been created to showcase the gin botanicals. The Nostalgin and Maura tartans have both been officially registered with the Scottish Register of Tartans -probably the only gins in the world with their own official tartans.
