• isle of arran gin botanicals

    Botanicals

ARRAN IS A SCOTTISH ISLAND OF ACCESSIBLE WILDNESS, RICH IN COASTAL PLANT LIFE

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.

Here are the big-hitter Arran botanicals responsible for our flavours…

Here are the big-hitter Arran botanicals responsible for our flavours…

noble fir

NOBLE FIR

A refreshing evergreen evoking Christmas, with crushed tips releasing oils suggesting grapefruit and citrus.

common hogweed seed

COMMON HOGWEED SEED

Tiny abundant seeds packed with hits of orange and coriander freshness. This funky local ‘weed’ features as one of our defining flavours.

sea lettuce

SEA LETTUCE

Rich in umami, this delightfully verdant seaweed brings deep notes of rock pools and the ocean, together with a bright salad freshness.

fuschia

FUCHSIA

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.

LEMON BALM

LEMON BALM

Sweet citrus and herb garden combine in this tender leaf, which we grow, rather than forage

MEADOW SWEET

MEADOW SWEET

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.

BLACKCURRANTS

BLACKCURRANTS

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.

NOBLE FIR
noble fir

A refreshing evergreen evoking Christmas, with crushed tips releasing oils suggesting grapefruit and citrus.

COMMON HOGWEED SEED
common hogweed seed

Tiny abundant seeds packed with hits of orange and coriander freshness. This funky local ‘weed’ features as one of our defining flavours.

SEA LETTUCE
sea lettuce

Rich in umami, this delightfully verdant seaweed brings deep notes of rock pools and the ocean, together with a bright salad freshness.

FUCHSIA
fuschia

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.

LEMON BALM
lemon balm

Sweet citrus and herb garden combine in this tender leaf, which we grow, rather than forage.

MEADOWSWEET
meadowsweet

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.

BLACKCURRANTS
blackcurrants

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-girl-arran-botanical-drinks

FORAGING

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.

WE SOURCE PLANTS WITH OUTSTANDING FLAVOURS TO MAKE REMARKABLE DRINKS

Rather than merely hinting at our local botanicals, we celebrate them, creating recipes where the plants come alive – making drinks that go further, and match their habitat and our location: romantic, memorable, exciting.

  • drtyng botanicals for arran gin
arran meadow pilsnerarran meadow pilsner

Drinks Lab

What started off as just another gin company, has morphed and grown into a diverse drinks production all linked by Arran botanicals.

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 Lettucereally 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. 

arran meadow pilsnerarran meadow pilsner

Local Partners

We invite local production partners to the table. Robin Gray of Robin’s Island Gourmet provides a range of fruit and botanicals for us.

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.

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