Turning interesting local plants and flowers into delicious drinks is what we do! They have to be bursting with aroma and flavour – and be able to make a classic cocktail.
We mix and match, getting creative across the seasons, and serve up the finished product on our shelves, or in a glass – right on the beach.
A refreshing evergreen evoking Christmas, with crushed tips releasing oils suggesting grapefruit and citrus.
Tiny abundant seeds packed with hits of orange and coriander freshness. This funky local ‘weed’ features as one of our defining flavours.
Rich in umami, this delightfully verdant seaweed brings deep notes of rock pools and the ocean, together with a bright salad freshness.
Both flowers and fruit bring a surprising sweetness and perfume to our gin, with a dab of pepperiness. We work with our neighbours at Brodick Castle to take our pick from their revered garden.
Sweet citrus and herb garden combine in this tender leaf, which we grow, rather than forage
A gorgeous combination of hay, honey and smokiness comes from this ancient medicinal, marsh-loving plant. Its sprays of cream-coloured flowers conjure up summers on Arran.
Arran’s fertile land and temperate climate is perfect for many types of Summer fruit – none more so than the good old blackcurrant. The raw fruit is rich in Vitamin C and polyphenols…but key for us is its defining flavour in our Creme-de-Cassis. We harvest our blackcurrants from local Whiting Bay grower Robin Gray.
A refreshing evergreen evoking Christmas, with crushed tips releasing oils suggesting grapefruit and citrus.
Tiny abundant seeds packed with hits of orange and coriander freshness. This funky local ‘weed’ features as one of our defining flavours.
Rich in umami, this delightfully verdant seaweed brings deep notes of rock pools and the ocean, together with a bright salad freshness.
Both flowers and fruit bring a surprising sweetness and perfume to our gin, with a dab of pepperiness. We work with our neighbours at Brodick Castle to take our pick from their revered garden.
Sweet citrus and herb garden combine in this tender leaf, which we grow, rather than forage.
A gorgeous combination of hay, honey and smokiness comes from this ancient medicinal, marsh-loving plant. Its sprays of cream-coloured flowers conjure up summers on Arran.
Arran’s fertile land and temperate climate is perfect for many types of Summer fruit – none more so than the good old blackcurrant. The raw fruit is rich in Vitamin C and polyphenols…but key for us is its defining flavour in our Creme-de-Cassis. We harvest our blackcurrants from local Whiting Bay grower Robin Gray.
Foraging for us is a pleasure, a connection to our land and sea. We are on a year-round exploration of every corner of this island for our wild harvests. As the seasons for each plant reach their prime we cut, prepare, and carefully store for the years distilling and brewing ahead.
With Cassis, Botanical Beers and new recipes emerging – all with one common thread…..hand foraged botanicals from our lovely island we have expanded into small-batch botanical beer production with a local brewing partner – Seagate Brewery. Stevie Sparshott is a master brewer and all-round action man of beer! We have learned so much from Stevie and always look forward to our Friday brew sessions with his fun partnership.
Some of the big-hit flavours that feature in our gin also go into our beer. Starting with a Shoreline Pilsner which features our Sea Lettuce – really unusual (and unusually good!) a Botanical Blonde evokes the classic Belgian style, but with home-grown notes of lemon…and most recently, our Botanical Blush is a real departure. Tart fruits grown on Arran – damsons, gooseberries and blackcurrant pulp (recycled from our Cassis). Crisp and fresh for summer.
Robin himself has become more involved in our production, and we value the expertise of land, plants and drink-making into our group.
Each time you visit there will be something going on at the Drinks Lab….we welcome your questions, tastings and general curiosity. We love to share our passion for the plants and the journey they take into bottles and cocktails.