About Us
We are the wee team that have come together to create Arisaig Gin!
Chris, Kayleigh, Anne & Sharon.
What is the story behind this brand and inspiration behind the gin?
Arisaig Gin is really a story of family, identity and pride.
The team have either been born and bred, live or have fond memories of the area.
We have worked really hard to bring our dream to a reality over the past couple of years.
We’ve tried to ensure that as many of the botanicals in our recipe are grown and sourced from the local area.
We have infused the gin with botanicals from Creag Mhor Croft and Bladderwrack Seaweed from the Silver shores of Arisaig.
We also handcraft our gin on family land – which dates back to the late 1800s.
The views from the family Croft are incredible.
Behind us is the Creag Mhor Hill which the famous Jacobite steam train scales.
(for the Harry Potter lovers – The Hogwarts Express).
In front of us are the small Hebridean islands of Eigg, Rum and Skye.
We combined the imagery from the view for the bottle label; the islands are the focal point and the text is highlighted with the silver foil to represent the silver sands.
We also incorporated the railway wooden sleepers for the bottle top and the pattern of the tracks for the lid seal.
We chose the bottle for the clean sharpe lines, nothing to fancy but a classic style.
For those crafty people amongst you the bottle can also be turned into a lamp stand.
What has been your career path and how did you end up distilling your own gin?
We all have very different backgrounds; Christopher works in the oil industry, Kayleigh is an Art and Design teacher, Sharon works in the IT business sector & Anne has recently got out of the rat race and taken early retirement from the Electronic & Engineering sector.
All these heads have come together with a passion for Gin and the area of Arisaig.
What kind of gin is it?
Arisaig Gin has a crisp taste, slightly sweet and leaves a warm glow to the back of the throat.
Where would be the perfect place to drink it?
If you enjoy the outdoors you could drink Arisaig Gin on the silver sands of Arisaig at sunset overlooking the Islands of Skye, Eigg and Rum.
If you want a warm welcome and a great atmosphere head to the Chlachain Inn, The Steam Inn in Mallaig or Arisaig Bar & The Old Library, in Arisaig of Course to try our gin.
Also now stocked in our very own local Spar in Arisaig Village.
For those nearer to Fort William you can find Arisaig Gin in the Tradewinds in Corpach.
You will also be able to purchase our miniature Arisaig Gins on the Jacobite Steam train, as well as the newly opened Highland Cinema in Fort William's Cameron Square.
However you taste our Gin, we are sure you’ll enjoy it wherever or whenever you try it
.
In your view what makes it so special?
The botanicals have been nurtured in Arisaig from Bladderwrack Seaweed collected from the Silver Sands, to the Self Heal and Blackcurrants, Rowan Berries and a couple of secret ingredients all grown on the Croft to name but a few.
This has been a team effort with lots of love and pride.
We even named our Pot Still “Wee Effie” after our late Granny MacDonald, who lived and raised her family on the Croft.
Family has been at the heart of this gin.
The local area of Arisaig has also had several nods in history, advertisements and the film industry.
Bonnie Prince Charlie fled Culloden staying in several caves on the way to Arisaig.
One such cave can be found near Arisiag, reputed to be the cave where he spent the night before his final embarkation to France from Loch Nan Uamh on September 19th 1746 after his failed Jacobite rebellion of 1745, you can see the beautiful beach of Camusdarrach in the film Local Hero, and Eagle starring Channing Tatum as well as a feature in Visit Scotland.
This is just the beginning of our story, why don't you join us and follow our journey?
