A Forfar gin distiller and an Arbroath fish smokehouse have teamed up in an unlikely partnership to bring a new Scottish gin to the market.
The Gin Bothy unveiled its most progressive product to date, partnering with Alex Spink and Sons, which specialises in making Arbroath smokies, to showcase two of Scotland’s oldest traditions.
The team at the smokehouse worked with Gin Bothy founder, Kim Cameron, to apply their traditional smoking techniques to a range of botanicals including juniper, orange peel, coriander and lemon, which were then distilled to make the smoked gin.
Just 250 bottles of this first edition product have been produced and it is said to be the only smoked gin to be made in a protected designation of origin area using a smokie ‘bothy’.
The 70cl bottle of London Dry style of gin is 41% ABV and boasts a burnt orange deep citrus flavour, with the smokiness following after.
Kim launched the drinks business in 2015 and in 2020 alone, produced 60,000 units.
Every bottle is batched and poured by hand with around 15 different flavours and expressions now available.
She said: “From croft to coast, from hillside to pier-side, the roots of the bothy heritage extend far and strong.
“Its spirit echoes along our shores and deep into our fishing communities, and so making a gin that is very much a love story between Scotland’s produce and the iconic bothy smokehouses felt like a very natural next step.
“The smoking of ingredients and products has long been part of Scottish culture. The bothy smokehouses dotted along the north-east coasts offer culinary secrets from recipes of old and it is here that we created our smoked gin.
“Bringing together the bothy elements along with the best of Scotland’s produce, preserves not just the product, but also the past and it chimes perfectly with our values.
“We want to safeguard and celebrate traditions that have been passed down the generations and sit at the heart of the unique identity that Scots have protected and carried abroad for so long.”
The smokies
Alex Spink and Sons is a family business that has been making Arbroath smokies the traditional way over oak-wood fire in Arbroath. Its origins date back to 1977.
Gary Morrison-Lundie of the firm, said: “Smoking fish in the traditional method in a bothy smokehouse is one of the few traditional skillsets still being passed down the generations, using the same techniques and equipment as generations before us.
“Using that knowledge in new ways creates a connection with other parts of Scottish culture, keeping it alive and in our communities.”
The Gin Bothy Smoked Gin is priced at £35 and is available from the website (www.ginbothy.co.uk) and the Bothy larder shop in Glamis.