News / First spirits from Unst distillery
THE FIRST product from Britain’s most northerly distillery was officially launched on Friday.
Shetland Reel Gin is made with botanicals, including apple-mint, specially grown in the island of Unst.
The distillery is located in the supplies building of the former RAF Saxa Vord site and is operated by The Shetland Distillery Company.
Established last year to create a gin and whisky distillery, the company is a partnership between Scotch whisky industry specialist Stuart Nickerson, his wife Wilma and Saxa Vord owners Frank and Debbie Strang.
Nickerson said: “We have created a truly authentic Shetland gin which has a genuine Unst provenance.
“That means we only produce the gin at the distillery at Saxa Vord and we procure at least some of the botanicals, notably the apple-mint ,which is grown in a polytunnel here in Unst.
“We are developing our plans for Shetland’s first ever whisky, but that is a longer term project.”
The Strangs took over Saxa Vord after the RAF departed nine years ago, turning it into a tourist resort with year-round self-catering accommodation and a seasonal hostel and bar/restaurant.
Frank Strang said: “The launch of this gin is a great lift for Unst. We hope it will bring more visitors and be the start of something much bigger.”
The project has been supported with a £17,000 grant from Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
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