Isle of Cumbrae Distillers was founded in 2019 on the island of Great Cumbrae, the larger of the two islands known as The Cumbraes in the lower Firth of Clyde in western Scotland. The five co-founders, although all came from diverse backgrounds, shared a few things in common, including a love of Gin and the Isle of Cumbrae.
Bronwyn Jenkins-Deas was originally from Canada but considered herself a “part-time Millportian”, having spent time on the island since 2002 on holiday. Juli (Julia) Dempsey was originally from the USA and, after many years travelling for work, discovered and fell in love with the island’s scenery and community. Lynda Gill was another visitor to the island, whose passion for the island’s nature, landscape and people captured her imagination. Philippa Dalton was an island resident who nurtured bees and chickens at her cottage and was also an advocate for the island. Jenine Ward also chose to call the island home after travelling the world through work, eventually finding the tranquil call of the island too much to resist.
By fate, the five women had met on the island and started a friendship that, over a few Gin and tonics, would subsequently plant the seed for the Isle of Cumbrae Distillers. The original motivation for creating an Isle of Cumbrae Scottish Gin was to help generate funds to help with the restoration of Millport’s historic town hall, which had fallen into disrepair. This initial discussion quickly evolved from launching a Scottish Gin to establishing a distillery on the island that would produce a range of Scottish Gins and Scottish spirits celebrating the island’s history, folklore, and local landmarks.
A distillery would provide a unique opportunity to contribute financially to the local island economy, boost tourism, create jobs, and put the Isle of Cumbrae on the global distilling map. Each of the five friends brought their collective work experience and love of the island to the project; none had any experience in the spirits industry or distilling. The five friends agreed they would learn all the necessary skills together, including licensing, distillation, production and a range of additional business skills they would need to launch the distillery.
They secured premises on the main high street, went through the process of applying for the relevant licences, gained the appropriate qualifications and certificates related to distillation, undertook a complete renovation and refit of the premises, converting the former retail space into a working distillery, with a 100-litre traditional Portuguese Alembic copper pot still, tasting area and a shop. They knew they wanted their signature Scottish Gin to evoke a sense of place and feeling, showcasing the islands’ diverse fauna and landscapes, from coastal rock pools to wildflower-clad hillsides.
After several test distillations on a smaller test still, the final botanicals chosen were juniper, lavender, brambles, and orange peels, juniper and some additional essential gin botanicals. They also wanted the gin name to reflect close ties to the island and community and decided to go with a play on words, “Nostalgin”, as a nod to both the nostalgia many people feel towards the island and, of course, gin. The signature Isle of Cumbrae Distillers Nostagin officially launched in late 2020. And true to their original goal of creating a gin that would raise awareness and contribute to the restoration of the town hall, they released Restoration Gin in late 2021.
By chance, in late 2023, Juli Dempsy, one of the Isle of Cumbrae Distillers co-founders, was hosting an in-store gin tasting event at Geraldo’s of Largs, a well-known and respected independent retailer of fine artisanal food and drink, along with its famous range of ice cream! Caroline Christie and her husband Struan, by chance, were also browsing for some Christmas gifts and got chatting to Juli about the world of Scottish Gin, the story behind the distillery and the range of products made there.
They also discussed what the future held for the co-founders, who were 5 years into their distilling journey and felt they were coming to a crossroads: some of the co-founders were approaching retirement age and would have to dedicate a portion of their golden years to the business, sacrificing family time and other commitments, or seek out a new generation of owners who could build upon the legacy that the co-founders had established.
Although it was a chance meeting at Geralod’s of Largs, it ignited an idea in Caroline and Struan, who had toyed with the idea of moving away from city living and their frantic careers to somewhere more peaceful that would allow them to take on a new challenge and as keen spirits drinkers, perhaps allow them to get creative with spirits and build a business.
Over the following months, Caroline and Struan engaged in a positive dialogue with the original co-founders about moving to the Isle of Cumbrae and assuming stewardship of the distillery, eventually leading to ownership. The co-founders saw this as an opportunity to pass the business and legacy to the young couple who demonstrated not only energy and passion for the distillery and the spirits produced there, but also respect and understanding of the importance of what the distillery represented to both the island community and its history and legacy.
In April 2024, Caroline and Struan took ownership of the business, with a transition period that would allow the couple to get to grips with every aspect of the business, including distillation, recipe development, and building a new relationship with the current staff and community. For Caroline and Struan, it was an exciting but risky once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But the couple knew between them, with their business acumen, love of what the distillery represented to the island and a great deal of respect for what the original co-founders had set out to do, Caroline and Struan have continued to grow the distillery’s range of Scottish spirits and reputation whilst staying true to the spirit of what the original co-founders set out to do, make the island community of Cumbrae proud.
Isle of Cumbrae Distillers signature gin, Nostalgin, celebrates the strong emotional connection and nostalgia Millport holds in so many people’s hearts, especially those who spent their childhood summers on the island in the 50’s and 60’s. The main botanicals of lavender, bramble and orange combine to capture the feeling of relaxation and calm that people experience on the 8-minute ferry ride to the island. To nose, floral with fruity citrus notes. On the palate, lavender, bramble, orange and piney juniper. To finish, fresh with lasting citrus.
Key Botanical(s): Lavender, Bramble, Orange
Gin Style: Distilled
Strength: 43% vol
Goes great with: A slice of orange, tonic and ice.
Croc Rock Gin celebrates Millport's Crocodile Rock, one of the most recognised symbols of the island for over 100 years. The gin's main botanicals of Cacao, stem ginger and orange symbolise the love locals have for the Croc, while at the same time recognising the potential danger of his bite. Every visitor to Millport has special moments and memories of Crocodile Rock. For the distillery team, Croc Rock truly symbolises the spirit of Millport and the gin is made to capture this magical spirit. To nose, sweet warm citrus. On the palate, chocolate, ginger, orange and piney juniper. To finish, complex with citrus and slightly peppery heat.
Key Botanical(s): Cacao Nib, Orange, Ginger
Gin Style: Distilled
Strength: 43% vol
Goes great with: A julienne of fresh ginger, light tonic and ice.
The third in the range of gins from Isle of Cumbrae Distillers is a very local, community focussed gin, entitled Restoration Gin. A portion of sales go to the Millport Town Hall restoration project, something the team are very passionate about, having been inspired to make gin that would raise funds to save the Town Hall in the very first place, before the idea for their distillery was even born. The taste of the gin is deep and fruity having used Pineapple, Mango and Elderberry in the distillation. To nose, deep and fruity. On the palate, pineapple, mango, piney juniper and peppery tones. To finish, fresh with rich fruit notes.
Key Botanical(s): Pineapple, Mango, Elderberry
Gin Style: Distilled
Strength: 41% vol
Goes great with: A slice of pineapple, light tonic and ice.
This special edition to the Isle of Cumbrae Distillers range is called Maura meaning ‘Star of the Sea’ and celebrates Scotland’s women and west coast. The team worked with Scottish painter Hope Blamire Artist to create something which pays tribute to the legends, stories and history of Scotland; a design fitting of their business and special island location. To nose, light and fruity. On the palate, sweet berries and piney juniper with notes of orange and grapefruit. To finish, fresh and light with a fruit finish.
Key Botanical(s): Raspberry, Blaeberry, Red Clover, Elderflower
Gin Style: Distilled
Strength: 43% vol
Goes great with: A slice of orange or pink grapefruit, tonic and ice.
The Isle of Cumbrae distillery can be found on the harbour front of Millport. The distillery is home to a traditional Portuguese alembic still. The distillery also features a shop that stock a selection of products and gifts. The distillery is open to the public with gin tours and tastings available on selected days. The tour not only covers the fascinating history of gin, but ties in the colourful smuggling stories of the Clyde and the history of Millport, as well as their own persona; story behind the all-female distillery business.
Tour: Yes
Shop: Yes
Booking: Book a tour and tasting here
You can learn more about the maker by clicking the links below.
