Experience Scottish Gin

Our Experience Scottish Gin feature series discovers Scotland’s gin makers who offer a Scottish Gin experience. As the popularity of Scottish Gin continues to grow and numbers of visitors to Scotland grows year on year, there’s never been a better time to experience Scottish Gin for yourself. From distillery tours and gin and food pairing experiences to gin making and distillation schools, the number of experiences is diverse, guaranteeing there’s a Scottish Gin experience out there for you to discover and enjoy.

The Bothy Experience, brand home to the Gin Bothy range of Scottish gins, liqueurs and more, officially opened its doors in 2018. The visitor experience was established as an extension and way of sharing the story of bothy life, an integral part of Scotland’s agricultural and outdoor way of life. In this Experience Scottish Gin feature, we catch up with Gin Bothy founder Kim Cameron to learn more about The Bothy Experience, what visitors can expect, and we discover some of Kim’s favourite parts of The Bothy Experience.

Where is your Scottish Gin experience based?

In the historic village of Glamis in Angus, Scotland. We’re on the doorstep of the famous Glamis Castle, the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. The village of Glamis is also just a short drive from the town of Kirriemuir where the playwright J. M. Barrie, who wrote Peter Pan was born and is buried. Kirriemuir also plays host Bon Fest, a musical festival that celebrates the life of Bon Scott, lead singer of AC/DC who grew up in the area and lived in Kirriemuir. Kirriemuir also houses our production facilities where as our visitor experience is situated here in Glamis.

What does your Scottish Gin experience consist of?

The Bothy Experience is housed in the former village stables, which have been lovingly and sympathetically refurbished and restored, and still retain many of their original features. The Bothy Experience has two visitor rooms where you can learn a bit more about Gin Bothy – how we went from jam to gin, explore some of the botanicals we use and more. 

Our Bothy Tales room tells the history of bothy life. The stories, the culture, the people; visitors learn how these humble buildings have helped and shaped generations of people. We also have two tasting rooms where we hold Gin Bothy tasting events.

Our on-site Bothy larder shop features a range of carefully selected gifts including Scottish fine food and drink and a selection of gifts including hip flasks and more. And of course you can pick from the full selection of Gin Bothy gins, spirits, drinks and food.

How long does your average Scottish Gin experience last?

Just like a real bothy, visitors are free to visit and have a looked around The Bothy Experience… it’s free to visit. Tastings along with other events can be pre-booked in advance with tasting events usually lasting approximately an hour and half. If you follow us on our social media channels and sign up to our newsletter you’ll get all the info about our latest events straight to your inbox. 

What are some of the best bits of your Scottish Gin experience?

We would say our Gin Bothy gin! We offer a number of tasting events through out the year and now offer virtual tasting experiences, all the can be found on our website, but we’ve received lots of lovely feedback from visitors. Many visitors don’t know about the history of Bothy culture so it’s great when we see them show a genuine interest in something that’s shaped our own business and brand. It’s nice knowing that in our own way we’re keeping the history and traditions of Bothy culture alive but also helping people learn more about it.

Our experience is definitely a good blend of great gin, good food, insight and plenty of laughs. It’s amazing when you get a group of strangers together in a room and start talking about gin… by the end of the tasting, everyone’s enjoying themselves, talking and laughing – we love seeing visitors leaving with a smile.

How many people can take part in your Scottish Gin experience?

Our tastings seat 10 in our Stable room and 22 in our Byre room. 

What’s the feedback from visitors?

We’ve had visitors from around the world visit us and many leave their feedback in our visitor book. We’ve had so much positive feedback, it’s nice to know that what we’ve created here at The Bothy Experience is helping visitors enjoy a taste of Scotland, including our Scottish Gin. It’s great to know we’ve been part of their visit to Scotland and they take these memories back home and share them with others. I guess you could say they’re taking a little bit of Scotland home with them, especially if they pick up a bottle of our Gin Bothy Gin from our shop.

How can visitors make a booking?

Booking for a tasting can be made online or by emailing bookings@bothyexperience.co.uk.

Is there anything else you’d like to add about your Scottish Gin experience?

We often say we used to use alcohol and music to make life better… well nothing has changed! Although we are not suitable for busses or larger groups, if you want to see and feel Scottish culture and tradition from the north east of Scotland, we offer an experience that’s more than just gin!

Do you think Scottish Gin experiences are an important part of the story of Scottish Gin?

Yes, I think customers want to feel connected to the Scottish gin story and seeing our story definitely helps people feel that.

What are some of the other attractions in your local area that you would recommend visitors check out?

We are minutes from the beautiful Glamis castle, only 18 miles from Dundee and 5 miles from Kirriemuir, which is know as the gateway to the glens so a great area to explore.

For all the latest news, tastings and events at The Bothy Experience, follow their Facebook page here.

You can learn more about Gin Bothy here.