Colonsay Gin Review - ON IN LONDON

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I love Scotland and I love gin, so I jumped at the chance to try Colonsay Gin. This is a premium artisan spirit produced by Wild Thyme Spirits. As the name suggests it is distilled in the Isle of Colonsay, a remote island in the Hebrides.

Marketed as the spirit of the Hebrides, it takes inspiration from the islands’ natural beauty and Celtic folklore. In folklore, each estate had Spirits who assisted with household chores. The company’s logo, featured on the back of the bottle, are the mischievous Spirit twins Doughal and Ferghus. This folklore is further expressed through the image of a maiden, Alva, a special Spirit with supernatural powers, who survived when her Viking long-boat crashed on the islands’ rocks. Now, she used her power to protect this secret recipe and transforms botanicals into gin. The bottle has a blue label with silver and black decoration, and wavy lines, which also conjures images of the sea.

Colonsay Gin is a juniper-led gin made in the London Dry style. It features the usual botanicals of juniper, Angelica root, Orris root, calamus rot, liquorice root, orange peel and citrus see seeds. The result is a smooth, bold, earthy gin that is peppery and a little bit sweet. Paired with tonic and garnish, it is refreshing and enjoyable. It is bottled at 47% ABV, which is slightly higher than most gins. It is hand-made in small batches of 160.

Wild Thyme Spirits launched in 2017 and is the brainchild of couple Finlay and Eileen Geekie. After a year of crafting small batches and with the help of Scotland’s smallest distilleries, Strathearn, the couple now wish to bring the production home to Colonsay. The first island batch is expected to be run from the stills by the end of this month.

A Gin Lover’s Retreat weekend package is available on the Isle of Colonsay. The package includes full board, cocktails on arrival, formal gin tasting and access to the ever expanding gin collection from Wild Thyme Spirits. For more information please see their website.

Website: www.wildthymespirits.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/WildThymeSpirits

Instagram: www.instagram.com/colonsaygin

Twitter: @ColonsayGin

Written by Caitlin Neal