Established in 2020 by Scottish Actor Sam Heughan, Sassenach Spirits is a platform for Sam to share his love and passion for great quality spirits with great stories crafted by the world’s craft distillers. Known for his break out role as Jamie Fraser in the hit tv show ‘Outlander’, Sassenach Spirits takes its name from a phrase used throughout the show, Sassenach. The term Sassenach is derived from Scot’s Gaelic word sasunnach, which meant Saxon before evolving to become a derogatory term used to insult someone from England or an outsider or foreigner, depending on the context. In the context of Sassenach Spirits and the use of Sassenach throughout Outlander, it is used purely as a term of endearment by Sam’s character Jamie when he refers to the love of his life ‘Claire’, played by Actress Caitríona Balfe. Sam has also played the leading role in several A-list Hollywood productions and has continued to refine his craft through various movie and TV roles.
Born and bred in Dumfries and Galloway, Sam is a passionate advocate for Scotland and Scottish culture, including food and drink, and with his Sassenach Spirits brand has sought out creative collaborations, building a portfolio of quality, premium spirits, including a blended whisky and tequila, with Sam playing a role in the development of each Sassenach release. 2023 saw the release of Sam’s The Sassenach Wild Scottish Gin, a new Scottish Gin created in collaboration with local distillery Crafty Distillery, based in the Scottish market town of Newton Stewart.
Craig Rankin, one of the co-founders at the Crafty Distillery, worked with Sam to create a Scottish Gin that reflected the local area’s botanical garden and several botanicals that reminded Sam of his childhood in the Galloway region. Crab apples and rhubarb were in abundance where Sam grew up, with many summers spent foraging for crab apples for homemade crab apple jelly and picking rhubarb to make delicious rhubarb crumbles. Sam also spent summers walking through heather-covered hillsides with friends and family, spotting Red Deer and Golden Eagles before stopping for a picnic with glorious views over the Dumfries and Galloway countryside. It is a place that still holds special meaning for Sam and his family.
The Sassenach Wild Scottish Gin is distilled using various locally foraged botanicals from the Dumfries and Galloway region of Scotland, the area where Sam Heughan was born and grew up. Sam worked with Craig Rankin at Crafty Distillery to create a Scottish Gin that captured the local wild larder. Featuring Scottish juniper, rhubarb, heather, Scots Pine resin, bramble leaf, blaeberry, crab apple and toasted oats, the result is a fresh London Dry style gin with layers of balanced, fresh flavours and a luxurious, creamy, soft mouthfeel.
Key Botanical(s): Crab Apple, Blaeberry, Toasted Scottish Oats
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 42% ABV
Goes great with: A slice of apple, tonic and ice.
Learn more about Sassenach Spirits by visiting the links below.
