Our featured gin in our Scottish Gin Club boxes this month is a celebration of the historic city of Stirling and its surrounding area. 

Stirling Signature Gin is distilled in the shadows of Stirling Castle and contains a selection of botanicals that reflect the unique flavour of Stirlingshire's countryside. 

The bottle design also features unique illustrations of the Wallace Monument and the Old Stirling Bridge by Ritchie Collins, an Edinburgh based artist.

The Stirling Distillery Story

Stirling Distillery was launched by husband and wife Cameron and June McCann. Their journey began when they ran the highly regarded Stirling Gin Festival in 2014. However, they noticed that there was one thing missing - a gin from Stirling using local botanicals.

The couple embarked on a journey to create such a gin and on 28th October 2015 they celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary by distilling the very first bottle of Stirling Gin!

Originally distilled in a 2.4 litre copper pot still named Jinty, demand was so great that a larger still became a necessity very quickly. 'Flora' arrived which gave the couple the ability to produce around 170 bottles per batch. 

The company continued to grow and in 2019, 4 years after the bottle was distilled, later the couple found a permanent home for their creation, opening the city's first legal distillery in The Old Smiddy - a historic building in the shadow of Stirling Castle. The Old Smiddy was originally built in 1888 but it is thought to the on the site that King James V stabled his horses in the 1500s. 

The building required extensive work but Cameron and June were able to maintain the beautiful Victorian facade while completely reconfiguring the interior as well as installing new windows, doors and wood panelling. 

On top of housing the stills, there is also a visitor's centre, shop, event space and garden on site to create a unique and immersive gin experience.

The Range

In addition to the Signature Gin, the Stirling Distillery range includes two other full strength gins - Stirling Pink Gin and Battle Strength Gin. 

There are also 3 liqueurs which all use the Stirling Gin as their base. These are Green Lady, Red Cap and also the limited edition Tropical Triumph.

At the end of 2020, the distillery released their first whisky under the name Sons of Scotland. This collection of single malts celebrates some of Stirlingshire's distilleries of yesteryear. The plan is to start production of their own whisky this year with the goal of releasing their first single malt in 2024.

Stirling Signature Gin

The Stirling Gin is packed full of sustainably sourced Stirlingshire nettles as well as 5 other carefully chosen botanicals to reflect the unique flavours of Stirlingshire's countryside. 

On the nose, there are bold, fresh herbaceous notes which are quickly followed by a hit of citrus peel. To taste, piney juniper gives way to spicy tones before the herbaceous basil and nettles shine through. The mouthfeel is both spicy and dry and the finish is long and smooth with a peppery tang.

Serving Suggestions

G&T

For the most refreshing G&T, we recommend serving over ice with the Mediterranean Tonic, a torn basil leaf and a slice of orange.

The Stirling Bramble

For cocktail lovers, we recommend the 'Stirling Bramble'.

You'll need the following:

• 60 ml Stirling Gin
• 30ml Lemon Juice
• 15ml Sugar Syrup
• 15ml Creme de Mure/Stirling Green Lady Liqueur
• Blackberry
• Fresh Mint
• A Cocktail Shaker 

Directions

Add the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup to the cocktail shaker, add ice and shake well. Fill a glass with plenty of crushed ice and strain the liquid into the glass. Drizzle over the Creme de Mure/Stirling Green Lady Liqueur and garnish with fresh blackberries and a sprig of mint. 

Using the Green Lady Liqueur instead of a simple Creme de Mure will add extra mint flavours to the cocktail.

Enjoy!