These days, supermarket shelves and trendy bars are stuffed full of the most famous Scottish gins like Isle of Harris Gin, Edinburgh Gin and Mcqueen Scottish Gin, making it hard to choose the perfect Scottish gin to buy for Burns Night and beyond.
Luckily, the experts at Craft Gin Club have done the research for you and found six incredibly unique Scottish craft gins that are ideal for enjoying during Scotland’s most-famed of evenings - and they are just as good at any other time too.
When is Burns Night and why is it celebrated?
Burns Night is proudly celebrated every 25th of January in memory of Robert “Rabbie” Burns, Scotland’s most renowned poet.
Each of these award-winning Scottish gins is made with incredible Scottish botanicals and exhibits true Scottish flavour, making them ideal for toasting Mr Burns and his beloved Scotland.
Slàinte mhath! (That’s “Good health!” in Scottish Gaelic, doncha know! And it’s used as a hearty “Cheers!”)
What gin is made in Scotland?
The six gins mentioned below are Scottish, along with many other craft gins from some truly sensational Scottish distilleries.
What you may not know is that some huge household-name gins are also made in Scotland.
Tanqueray, Gordons and Hendricks are all distilled in Scotland. Tanqueray is distilled near Edinburgh at Cameron Bridge Distillery. Gordon’s, originally created by Alexander Gordon, a Londoner of Scottish descent, is now distilled in Fife. And Hendricks is distilled in the southwest Scottish county of Ayrshire.
What is the most popular gin in Scottland?
There are lots of contenders for the most popular gins in Scotland. Isle of Harris Gin seems to be growing in popularity, and so does Glaswegin. Edinburgh Gin is very popular too, of course. But why speculate when we can go straight to a set of gin aficionados we know very well - Craft Gin Clubbers!
Each month, Craft Gin Club sends out a survey to Craft Gin Club members asking them about that month’s Gin of the Month box and the gin inside. From that, we can find out which gins (Scottish or otherwise) are the most popular Craft Gin Club Gins of the Month.
The top three most popular Scottish Craft Gin Club Gins of the Month, as voted for by Craft Gin Club members, are Kirkjuvagr Yuletide Special Edition Gin, Downpour Coast & Croft Gin and Theodore Pictish Gin.
You can find out more about each of these tasty Scottish tipples below in our list of the six best Scottish gins that you can buy. Check it out…
6 of the best Scottish Gins:
Shetland Reel Filska Gin
Craft Gin Club’s November 2018 Gin of the Month, this magnificent craft gin hails from the Shetland Reel distillery (named Highly Commended in the Growth Business of the Year category at the Scottish Gin Awards 2019) on the Shetland Isles, off Scotland’s most northern coastline. It’s a symphony of mouthwatering citrus tones that are completely delicious - they are a fine way to cut through the rich flavours of your Burns Night haggis.
Where in Scotland is Shetland Reel Filska Gin distilled? Shetland Reel Filska Gin is distilled on the island of Unst, which is the most northerly island of the Shetland archipelago.
How do you serve Shetland Reel Filska Gin? We recommend mixing 50ml of this marvellous tipple with 200ml of a premium tonic water of your choice. Garnish with a slice of fresh red grapefruit and enjoy!
Shetland Reel is a proud Scottish gin brand that loves to celebrate its heritage, including the Shetland Isles’ Up Helly Aa fire festival, which takes place on January 31st, 2023. They have created a fabulous Up Helly Aa gin in honour of the occasion.
2. Rock Rose Citrus Coastal Edition Gin
This remarkable Scottish Highland gin comes from Dunnet Bay Distillery (named Scottish Distillery of the Year at the Scottish Gin Awards 2019) on Scotland’s wild northern coast. Craft Gin Club’s August 2020 Gin of the Month, it’s made with botanicals foraged along the Scottish coastline and botanicals grown on-site at the Dunnet Bay Distillery. It has a remarkable mix of umami and citrus tones that are simply scrumptious.
What better way to toast Burns Night than with a wonderful expression of Scotland’s beautiful Highland landscape?
Where in Scotland is Rock Rose Citrus Coastal Edition Gin distilled? Rock Rose Citrus Coastal Edition Gin is distilled in Dunnet Bay, Caithness, on the northern coastline of the Scottish Highlands.
How do you serve Rock Rose Citrus Coastal Edition Gin? Serve 50ml of Rock Rose Citrus Coastal Edition Gin with 200ml of your favourite premium Indian tonic and garnish with fresh citrus fruit and goji berries. Enjoy!
Dunnet Bay Distillery was also named Gin Tourist Destination of the Year and awarded Excellence in Sustainability at the Scottish Gin Awards 2022!
3. Downpour Coast & Croft Gin
This is one stunning Scottish island gin from the North Uist Distillery (named Scottish Distillery of the Year at the Scottish Gin Awards 2022) in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. Paying homage to Scottish coastal and croft living, still practised in the Outer Hebrides today, using wild thyme and seaweed pepper dulse, it’s a unique and sublime craft gin. Its savoury notes make it an excellent choice for your Burns Night feast.
Where in Scotland is Downpour Coast & Croft Gin distilled? Downpour Coast & Croft Gin is distilled in Scotland’s Out Hebrides on the island of North Uist.
How do you serve Downpour Coast & Croft Gin? We recommend serving 50ml of Downpour Coast & Croft Gin with 200ml of a citrus-forward tonic, garnishing with grapefruit slices and coriander seeds or allspice. Serve and enjoy!
4. Kirkjuvagr Yuletide Special Edition Gin
Yes, we know the Yuletide season is pretty much over by Burns Night but Kirkjuvagr Yuletide Special Edition Gin from Orkney Distilling (named Scottish Gin Destination of the Year at the Scottish Gin Awards 2019) is full of festive flavours that are perfect for any winter celebration. Distilled in Orkney, it’s inspired by the area’s Viking history. It’s brimming with spice, fruit and citrus tones that are so warm and cosy and perfect for cold January evenings in Scotland.
Where in Scotland is Kirkjuvagr Yuletide Special Edition Gin distilled? Kirkjuvagr Yuletide Special Edition Gin is distilled on the Orkney island of Kirkwall.
How do you serve Kirkjuvagr Yuletide Special Edition Gin? We recommend serving 50ml of Kirkjuvagr Yuletide Special Edition Gin with 200ml of a premium, citrus-forward tonic and garnishing with orange slices and red currents. Enjoy!
5. Theodore Pictish Gin
Inspired by an ancient Scottish tribe called the Picts, Theodore Pictish Gin was Craft Gin Club’s July 2019 Gin of the Month. Made using wonderfully bold and adventurous botanicals like damask rose, Oolong tea and bourbon vetiver, it’s an utterly delicious and complex craft Scottish gin that no gin fan should be without.
Where in Scotland is Theodore Pictish Gin distilled? Theodore Pictish Gin is distilled in Alness, in the Scottish Highlands.
How do you serve Theodore Pictish Gin? We recommend serving 50ml of Theodore Pictish Gin with 200ml of premium rhubarb-flavoured tonic water and garnishing with slices of grapefruit. Enjoy!
6. Makar Mulberry Aged Gin
Image: Glasgow Distillery Makar Mulberry Aged Gin
The Glasgow Distillery Co. named their Makar range of gins after the Scottish word for “poet” (how fitting for Burns Night!) and they are thought to be Glasgow’s first and oldest distillery. They date back to 1770! To make their Makar Mulberry Cask Aged Gin (which won Gold in the category of Cask Gin of the Year at the Scottish Gin Awards 2019), they age their signature expression in mulberry wood casks for ten weeks, which turns it a deep amber colour and gives it invitingly woody tones that are joined by touches of citrus, herb and vanilla spice, not dissimilar to whisky. It’s a fine tipple for Burns Night sipping!
Where in Scotland is Makar Mulberry Aged Gin distilled? Makar Mulberry Aged Gin is made in the Scottish city of Glasgow, in Scotland’s western Lowlands.
How do you serve Makar Mulberry Aged Gin? We recommend serving 50ml of Makar Mulberry Aged Gin with 200ml of ginger beer and a garnish of fresh orange. It is also fantastic simply served on the rocks.
Of course, it was an incredibly difficult process to choose just six, and there are many other Scottish gins that we could have willingly added to the list! Arbikie Gin and NB Gin are just a few of the other fabulous Scottish gins we’ve featured as our Gins of the Month over the years and highly recommend.
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