Isle of Skye Distillers: Creators of Misty Isle Gin
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Written by Sonas Walker, Isle of Skye Distillers Ltd.
The story so far...
From their hometown of Portree on the Isle of Skye, brothers, Thomas and Alistair Wilson have created a spirit they are proud to call their own.
It has been over four years since the Wilson brothers dreamed of establishing the first gin distillery on the island. Taking their skills from previous careers, burning the midnight oil, spending weeks foraging for local juniper berries and with lots of dedication, Misty Isle Gin was first launched in early 2017 to great applause.
To Thomas and Alistair, provenance is everything – the abiding sense of belonging and community. Taking inspiration from the local landscape; in particular the Old Man or Storr and the Cuillin Mountain Range, the Wilson brothers set out to create a gin that embraced the spirit of Skye. All Misty Isle spirits are distilled in Portee with a marriage of waters from the Storr Lochs and the right balance of the finest botanicals. Juniper berries are hand foraged from various locations around the island and the distillery garden is budding with various botanicals. One special botanical is kept a secret but it can only be found at high altitudes on the island.
The distillery is home to four traditional 100l embolic style copper pot stills and all distillation, bottling and labelling is completed by hand. The unique bottle shape and label has been designed to represent the elements of the Isle of Skye; the mountainous landscape to the turbulent seas. The label design is an accurate representation of the Cuillin Mountains and is finished with a copper foiling as a nod to the copper gin stills.
To date, the distillers have gone from strength to strength and various expressions have been released since establishing the distillery. The current range of five core gins now include: Misty Isle Gin; Pink Fruity Old Tom; Cill Targhlain (the newest London Dry released this summer), Tommy’s Gin (a gin created in honour of their late father Tommy Wilson) and the festive favourite Misty Isle Mulled Christmas Gin. The Mulled Christmas Gin is full of festive flavours and is the perfect tipple for Christmas. In addition to the gins, Misty Isle Vodka (released in 2018), was added to the core range and was the first vodka to be distilled on the island.
Any trip to Portree would be incomplete without a visit to the Isle of Skye Distillers Gin School and Shop. Here you will find a range of Scottish Gins and goods on offer as well as the opportunity to experience the traditional art of distilling. Join Alistair as he guides you through a three-hour tutored and interactive gin making experience. From personally selecting your botanicals to running your own individual miniature copper pot still, adding the finishing touches to bottling and labelling, this is a relaxed and enjoyable experience to take home along with your very own bottle of unique gin. Places are available to book online.
The Wilson brothers are passionate to further expand their distillery and have future plans of distilling whisky alongside their gins and vodka. Thomas and Alistair are currently focused on expanding their export market to share their spirit of Skye with a wider audience.
Isle of Skye Distillers is 100% independent and is entirely funded by the Wilson Brothers. To learn more about Isle of Skye Distillers and to keep up with our current news and promotions, you can sign up to our newsletter (see our website) and follow us on social media. To view the full range of the award winning Misty Isle spirits, visit us online at: www.isleofskyedistillers.com
For an exclusive 10% of 70cl bottles of Gin and Vodka, use coupon code MISTYISLE10
