The Great Glen Distillery was established by Daniel Campbell in his late mother’s shop in the small Highland village of Drumnadrochit in Glen Urquhart, located on the western shore of the world famous Loch Ness. With a career in the family business, which includes hotel, retail and tourism, Daniel has a long held passion for great food and drink and championing Scotland as a must visit destination. It was through the Campbell family business that Daniel met Adam Dwyer, who had worked at a number of Michelin star restaurants, refining his skills and palate in the kitchen before joining the Campbell family business, eventually becoming executive head chef across the business group.
Together Daniel and Adam began tinkering with the idea of establishing a distillery that would draw its inspiration from the local area and set to work developing a recipe that used some local botanicals and water sourced from Loch Ness before refining and releasing their signature Great Glen Gin in July 2021, which takes its name from Great Glen fault line that was created by glaciers more than 10,000 years ago.
Great Glen Gin uses a number of locally foraged botanicals in its recipe including Scottish heather and sheep sorrel along with a variety of botanicals from around the world such as frankincense, juniper and angelica root. The gin on the nose has notes of fresh forest, floral and citrus whilst on the palate there’s a deep, complex and rich earthiness balanced with citrus and floral with some pepper and spice on the finish.
Key Botanical(s): Heather, Sheep Sorrel, Frankincense
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 43% vol
Goes great with: A twist of lemon, tonic and ice.
Great Glen Pink Gin balances ten carefully chosen botanicals. Classic pine notes of juniper and citrussy coriander seeds are elevated by distilled Scottish raspberries, vapour infused rose and hibiscus petals and sweet Pink Lady apples, resulting in a light, floral pink gin with fresh, lasting flavours.
Key Botanical(s): Scottish Raspberries, Rose, Hibiscus, Pink Lady Apples
Gin Style: Flavoured
Strength: 43% vol
Goes great with: A slice of apple, tonic and ice.
Inverness Gin combines savoury and herbaceous with floral and citrus creating a balanced flavour profile that delivers an aromatic flavour journey. A number of traditional gin botanicals are combined with kombu kelp seaweed, golden chanterelle mushrooms, fennel seed and elderflower to create a complex flavour profile.
Key Botanical(s): Kombu Kelp Seaweed, Golden Chanterelle Mushrooms, Fennel Seed
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 43% vol
Goes great with: A twist orange peel, tonic and ice.
Forming part of the Great Glen Distillery & Visitor Centre, the distillery is discreetly tucked away round the side of the Loch Ness Drumnadrochit Hotel. Located in the former shop, the distillery houses a 200 litre still named Jacqueline after the founder’s late mother. The still is used to produce both the gin and the base spirit that’s used during distillation process. One of Scotland’s smallest distilleries, the micro distillery draws its water source from a borehole that draws its water directly from Loch Ness. The distillery is currently open Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm.
Tour: Yes
Shop: Yes
Booking: Message the distillery on Facebook or call +44(0) 1463 832590 to book a tour
You can learn more about the maker by clicking the links below.
