As the name suggests, the Fairytale Distillery is unlike any other distillery in the UK. You would be forgiven for thinking you’d stepped into the pages of a fairytale from the Brothers Grimm. Overlooking one of Scotland’s most famous and photographed castles, Eilean Donan Castle, you’ll find the Fairytale Distillery.
The co-founders, Thomas Gottwald and Manuela Kohne-Gottwald, originally from Germany, moved to Scotland in 2013 after previous holidays to the area, where they fell in love with the stunning landscapes and largely untamed wilderness. The couple and their daughter Joline established a small craft bakery, adding a pizza parlour.
With a long held fascination for brewing and distilling, along with friend and gin specialist Roger Knight, toyed with adding a distillery to the growing business. Thomas wanted to create unique gins that reflected his creative nature and captured some of the area’s seasonal beauty with a twist of his German heritage. With the help of Joline and two botanists, Thomas set about exploring botanicals and flavours whilst construction of the distillery went on in the background.
The distillery officially opened its small doors in 2019 and houses a 125 litre Herr Hans-Peter-Schmidt schnapps still named Tinkerbelle. Thomas has developed a range of Fairytale Distillery gins and spirits, including several seasonal and limited edition releases, each using water from the local spring fed burn Alt Mor na Dornie.
On the nose, delicate juniper, topped with fresh citrus and mint, chocolatey, blackberry-like, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, ginger, resinous and rooty, some gentian, a touch of lavender; a very straightforward concept. To taste, compact, aromatic, with subtle juniper, somewhat ethereal and oily pungency, orange-like, slight mushroom notes, mossy, green-grassy, tart and peely, nutty and kernel-like, with lavender. Overall full-bodied with long lasting finish.
Key Botanical(s): Juniper, Orange Zest, Summer Savory, Jasmine
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 41% vol
Goes great with: A slice of grapefruit, tonic and ice.
On the nose, aromatic with clear juniper presence, a lot of citrus oil top notes, orange, lime, berry-like aromas, delicately rooty and earthy, ginger, coriander, cardamom, lavender, some tonka bean, floral aspects, rose petals, menthol coolness. To taste, aromatic repetition on the palate, subtle juniper basis, woody, coniferous and resinous accents, citrus, lime, orange peel, lavender, tonka bean, spignel, some lovage. Overall full-bodied with ethereal and bitter finish.
Key Botanical(s): Lime Zest, Bitter Orange, Allspice
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 41% vol
Goes great with: A sprig of rosemary, tonic and ice.
On the nose, very multi-faceted, aromatic botanicals and juniper, citrus heavy with lemon, lime, tangerine, tonka bean, ginger, coffee, lavender, ester, with a a touch of Bazooka chewing gum borrowings. To taste, very ethereal and ester continuation on the palate, quite a lot of juniper berries, dosed citrus top notes, orange peel, lime juice, tonka bean, mint, ginger, strong floral component, rose petals, rose oil, violet, lavender. Overall full-bodied, compact and harmonious.
Key Botanical(s): Kaffir Lime Leaves, Lime Peel, Orange Peel, Allspice
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 41% vol
Goes great with: A slice of lime, tonic and ice.
On the nose, lots of freshness embedded in juniper, citrus, oranges, lemon grass, slightly earthy and rooty, carrot, gentian, mint, eucalyptus, lavender, muscat blossom, blossom honey, cocoa, cinnamon bark. To taste, rather powerful juniper berry basis, coniferous and resinous, subtle citrus notes, orange peel, grapefruit, clove oil, rooty, gentian, a lot of ginger, mint, floral aspects, lavender, a touch of lovage. Overall compact body, fairly long finish.
Key Botanical(s): Angelica Roots, Lime Zest, Bitter Orange
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 41% vol
Goes great with: A slice of grapefruit, tonic and ice.
This slightly dry, smooth gin with just a hint of juniper in the bouquet has a flowery, rose petal beginning, reflecting the rosehip and meadowsweet botanicals. Not unlike some whiskys, there is a slightly peppery aftertaste and lots of subtle taste undertones.
Key Botanical(s): Barberry, Elderflower, Pomegranate, Star Anise
Gin Style: Distilled
Strength: 41% vol
Goes great with: A slice of grapefruit, tonic and ice.
This gin's spicy bouquet, drawn from some of its ingredients of cardamom, dates and cassis, hints of the Spice Routes. The faint juniper beginning merges into the smooth, spicy body, which finishes with vanilla and a hint of honey.
Key Botanical(s): Lemongrass, Dates, Pomegranate, Cloves
Gin Style: Distilled
Strength: 41% vol
Goes great with: Neat over ice with a sprig of rosemary.
The delicate citrus bouquet is hard to detect but the lemony beginning with a sweet aftertaste make this a very refreshing gin.
Key Botanical(s): Lemongrass, Lemon Zest, Lemon Balm, Cranberries
Gin Style: Distilled
Strength: 41% vol
Goes great with: A slice of lemon, tonic and ice.
On the nose, very floral basic notes, slightly perfumed, citrus, grapefruit, rose petals, orange blossoms, lavender, typical juniper base, coriander, ginger, black tea. To taste, strong ethereal top notes, candy drop-like, berry-like, lime, orange peel, floral notes, orange blossoms, elderflower, green tea, subtly juniper-like, a lot of rose oil, lavender, coriander, cardamom, thyme, malty sweetness. Overall good tightness and length, warming finish, unconventional concept.
Key Botanical(s): Grapefruit peel, Coriander, Orange Peel, Vanilla
Gin Style: Old Tom
Strength: 41% vol
Goes great with: A slice of orange, tonic and ice.
On the nose, aromatic with clear juniper presence, a strong mango not and hints of citrus including orange, lime, lemon. Delicately rooty and earthy with some floral notes and menthol. To taste, aromatic and subtle juniper with woody, conifer accents. Contains a strong mango element with a hint of cassia. Altogether a full bodied flavour with a hint of spice at the finish.
Key Botanical(s): Juniper, Citrus, Mango, Coriander, Hibiscus Petals
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 41% vol
Goes great with: A slice of mango, tonic and ice.
The Fairytale Distillery sits in one of the UK’s most quirky and unique settings for a distillery – a village of fairytale cottages. However, this isn’t a case of make-believe. A stone’s throw from the the famous Eilean Donan Castle, the Fairytale Distillery produces a range of Scottish Gin expressions all lovingly crafted in the distillery. With its rusty chimneys, squint slated roof and even a cat on the roof, a nod to the Old Tom style of gin, the distillery is just one of the businesses on the site where visitors can enjoy a bite to eat in the cafe, visit the distillery, pick up some freshly baked bread or a freshly made pizza.
Tour: Yes
Gin School: No
Cafe: Yes
Bar: No
Shop: Yes
Booking: Learn more about Fairytale Distillery experiences here
Learn more about Fairytale Distillery by visiting the links below.
