Stuart Ingram, founder and owner of House of Elrick Gin, made two big calls. After purchasing the historic Elrick House, nestled in the lowlands of Aberdeenshire at Newmachar, in 2014 he moved the gin distilling operation, which had previously been contracted out, to a purpose-built distillery in the grounds in 2018. He also resisted the opportunity to be raped and pillaged by the grasping capitalists who make up the panellists of BBC’s Dragons’ Den in order to keep possession of the house, which had been built in 1720 and only had five previous owners.

This strength and determination seems to have paid off as House of Elrick Gin Ltd not only offers a premium small batch artisan gin but also three rum liquors, Dark Rum, Spiced Rum, and White with Mango Rum. It also comes through in the bottle design, whose elegance is enhanced by its simple sophistication, encapsulated by its use of a matt black glass and silver script. It is circular but tapers inwards towards its flat shoulder. The medium sized neck leads to a silver cap with an artificial stopper.

On the front of the bottle there is an emblem featuring a key hole and the bare essentials, the name, size of bottle (70cl), and strength (42% ABV) embossed in silver. The rear tells the story of the gin in a pleasing copperplate script. Drawing upon the history of the house and its place in the Scottish Enlightenment movement, it is, the marketing blurb claims, designed to “quench the thirst of the capricious thinkers, the artists, the philosophers, the poets, the discoverers and the entrepreneurs, for the curious souls that gather past and present within the walls of our home in the lowlands of Aberdeenshire”. There is more than a touch of the now lamented BBC series Ghosts in all of that but any drink that is crafted for the enlightened mind gets my vote and I could not resist their invitation to join them for a drink.

There website says that there are nine botanicals which go into the mix, although they only go on to identify eight; juniper, coriander seeds, angelica root, citrus peel, heather, pink peppercorns, sweet fennel, and rose petals. There is either a secret ingredient, or the citrus is both orange and lemon, or the list was compiled when they were one over the eight. The spirit uses water from Loch Ness.

On the nose the aroma is a mix of floral and citric notes, giving it a fresh and fruity feel. In the glass, it reveals its strength, the initial hit of earthiness from the juniper giving way to the zesty citrus and the sweetness of the floral elements. There is a sting to its tail as the peppercorns begin to make their mark, contributing to the smooth and slightly spicy aftertaste. There is a lot going on in the glass and while some might lament that the balance between the herbal elements and the juniper tips it towards the contemporary end of the gin spectrum, there is no doubting the skill that has gone to making a gin that is refreshing while maintaining a sophisticated complexity.

Until the next time, cheers!