McLean’s Gin started in an inconspicuous tenement flat, in Battlefield in the Southside of Glasgow, known as the “gin cupboard”, possibly one of the smallest, nano gin operations in Europe. The newly married Mr & Mrs McLean have recently upscaled to the now “gin lab” in Strathaven South Lanarkshire, where they have increased production to 30l batches, five times their old cupboard capacity!
Colin and Jess McLean developed their passion for gin making after receiving a ‘Make Your Own Gin’ kit one Christmas. From here the couple invested in a small gin still that could produce six-litre batches and McLean’s Gin was officially born. With their first gin successfully produced, bottled, labelled and wax sealed, the couple decided to put the time they had spent experimenting with botanicals to good use and have since created a number of unique expressions.
Originally created as a limited edition release to celebrate the nuptials of THE Mr & Mrs McLean, Something Blue has now been added to the core range. Something Blue focuses on Colin and Jess’ favourite botanicals; the Tonka Bean and the Buchu Leaf. Hints of summer fruits, mint, caramel and hand-rolled tobacco leaf, supported by a fresh herbaceous background.
Key Botanical(s): Tonka Bean, Buchu Leaf
Gin Style: Bathtub
Strength: 39.4%
Goes great with: A sprig of mint, a slice of cucumber, tonic and ice.
McLean’s Strathaven Hedgerow is a London Dry gin that uses botanicals exclusively foraged within a five mile radius of the McLean’s Gin Lab. Limited to approximately 1,000 bottles annually, every release will have variations based on the availability of botanicals and changing of the seasons. This first release features 11 botanicals including brambles, gorse flowers, hawthorn berries, Scots pine needles and golden chanterelle mushrooms. The nose is light, clean and fresh like a morning walk down a country lane. The palate features juniper delivering a resinous, fresh pine along with soft fruits, florals, some herbaceous notes that all intertwine to create a gin that’s rich in flavour, balanced and delicious.
Key Botanical(s): Pine Needles, Gorse Flowers, Hawthorn Berries
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 43.1% vol
Goes great with: A slice of pink grapefruit, tonic and ice.
McLean’s Citrus Gin is now a seasonal release, available with the late summer and autumn months, August to October. Citrus is bursting with bold citrus flavour from botanicals including orange, lemon and Makrut. The piquant citrus combination is then combined with 6 other botanicals including spicy tellicherry peppercorns and rosemary.
Key Botanical(s): Tellicherry Peppercorns, Rosemary, Orange, Lemon, Makrut
Gin Style: Bathtub
Strength: 37.5% vol
Goes great with: Lemon peel or lime peel, tonic and ice.
McLean’s Spiced Gin is now a seasonal release, available as a festive winter warmer between November to January. Spiced is an incredibly versatile gin that is as warming as it is refreshing so can be enjoyed equally by the fireplace at winter as well as in the heat of summer! Classic gin botanicals including angelica, orange peel and cinnamon are paired with allspice, ginger, pine and clove to create a deliciously spiced gin.
Key Botanical(s): Angelica, Allspice, Ginger, Pine
Gin Style: Bathtub
Strength: 37.5% vol
Goes great with: Ginger Beer and ice.
McLean's Cherry Bakewell Gin is inspired by the classic Bakewell Tart. Rich in cherry, almond and vanilla, McLean's Cherry Bakewell is perfect as a refreshing gin & mix and also can be used to make exciting gin cocktails.
Key Botanical(s): Cherries, Vanilla, Almonds
Gin Style: Flavoured, Bathtub
Strength: 37.5% vol
Goes great with: A maraschino cherry, Mediterranean tonic or lemonade and ice.
McLean’s Floral Gin is now a seasonal release, available during spring months February to April. Floral is bold in colour and in flavour with rose and hibiscus combining with orange and sweet fennel. The violet colour also changes to pink when mixed with tonic.
Key Botanical(s): Flower Petals, Fennel Pollen
Gin Style: Bathtub
Strength: 37.5% vol
Goes great with: Mediterranean tonic and ice.
McLean's Signature Gin is gentle on juniper and bursting with flavour from 9 botanicals including fennel, anise, cubeb berries and orange. The last batch of McLean's Signature Gin was produced in December 2020.
Key Botanical(s): Anise, Fennel, Cubeb Berries
Gin Style: Bathtub
Strength: 37.5% vol
Goes great with: A slice of apple, Mediterranean tonic and ice.
The first distilled gin from McLean’s Gin is a (now sold out) limited edition classic London Dry Gin flavour profile but still true to the McLean’s Gin principle of creating truly botanical gins. Created by Colin and Jess McLean to celebrate their one year wedding anniversary, Something Clear is the first in their Collectors Editions of gins, distilled with classic London Dry Gin botanicals and the addition of three botanicals that have an importance in the couple's gin journey. One of these botanicals includes hand-picked loquat leaf, the fruit of this tree Colin and Jess tried on the day of their engagement when they were on holiday in La Gomera. Turns out the fruit can act as a sedative so the couple found themselves on an extended nap when they got back to their hotel… for 14 hours!
Key Botanical(s): Tonka Bean, Buchu Leaf, Orange Peel, Angelica Root, Loquat Leaf
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 50% vol
Goes great with: Light tonic and ice.
Based in South Lanarkshire, the McLean’s ‘Gin Lab’ isn’t technically a distillery, as McLean’s gin is produced using the cold compound method, however, the Ginnery or ‘Gin Lab’, as it’s affectionately known, provides ample space and opportunity for the team at McLean’s Gin to experiment with new flavours and the development of new products.
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