POETRY lovers who don’t have a taste for Scotland’s national drink – or the nation’s bard – are being offered an alternative this year by Speyside Distillery.
Already established as a maker of Scotch whisky, the distillery has launched a limited-edition gin with botanicals found growing in its grounds.
And it has named the spirit, available in two expressions, in honour of English poet Lord Byron, who is believed to have gifted a cask of whisky from the distillery to King George III in the 19th century.
Chief executive John Harvey McDonough said: “The result is two very different gin expressions.
“We have wanted to add to our portfolio of premium spirits for some time and with all these wonderful botanicals on our doorstep, we saw an opportunity to create something a world away from our single malt whisky.”
The gin was formulated by distillery manager Sandy Jamieson with Andy Amphlett, the country recorder for the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland.
Andy hand-selected plants and berries and Sandy, who has spent his entire working life in distilling, handled the technical side.
