At the very tip of the British isles lie the Shetland Islands, where the North Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. It is a place of mystery and secrets. Of long summer days and long winter nights. Of dramatic weather. Emerging from this remote community is the Saxa Vord Distillery, the most northerly in the UK, started by four people sharing a passion for producing quality spirits.
The distillery is located at the northern end of Unst, the most northerly inhabited island in the UK, only accessible from the Shetland mainland by two ferry journeys, via the island of Yell. It is closer to Norway in distance and in culture than it is to much of Scotland. The team at the Saxa Vord Distillery take inspiration from their surroundings, using local botanicals to create spirits that are completely unique and embody the place where their spirits originate.
This signature recipe, which affectionately captures the nature of the island, uses the sweet scented leaves of apple mint grown and harvested on Unst giving a unique and authentic flavour of Shetland.
Key Botanical(s): Apple Mint, Coriander Seed, Orris Root
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 43% vol
Goes great with: A wedge of pink grapefruit, tonic and ice.
Influenced from the seas that surround their island, Ocean Sent Gin features native bladderwrack. The distinctive and nutritious seaweed is gathered from the rocks of the Shetland coastline and distilled to their unique recipe resulting in a surprising depth of flavour of Shetland.
Key Botanical(s): Bladderwrack Seaweed, Coriander Seed, Orris Root
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 49% vol
Goes great with: A sprig of mint, tonic and ice.
A refreshing aromatic gin created in celebration of Shetland’s summer twilight, know locally as the ‘Simmer Dim’. The long summer days and lasting amber skies at sunset influence the 8 botanicals in the recipe.
Key Botanical(s): Orange Peel, Liquorice Root
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 43% vol
Goes great with: A slice of orange, tonic and ice.
This juniper forward gin was inspired by the local Shetland dialect. Filska, meaning high-spirited and flighty. This spirit is captured with the use of juniper, cinnamon and zesty grapefruit.
Key Botanical(s): Juniper, Grapefruit, Cinnamon
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 40% vol
Goes great with: A slice of red grapefruit, tonic and ice.
Shetland Reel launched their annual festive gin on International Scottish Gin Day 2021, in the form of Lemon Fest Gin. Fresh lemon peel, balanced with a sprinkle of cinnamon delivers a zesty, bright and aromatic gin with piney juniper, rich sweet spice and a touch of herbal lemon balm.
Key Botanical(s): Lemons, Cinnamon
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 40% vol
Goes great with: A twist of lemon, tonic and ice.
The limited edition Gin Bean from Shetland Reel, of which there are only 500 bottles, has been produced in collaboration with Cairngorm Leaf & Bean, an artisan roastery in the Scottish Highlands. The London Dry Gin has intricate hints of mocha from the coffee specialist’s El Salvador SHG ‘Cuzcachapa’ single origin coffee. Available exclusively from the Unst Distillery and the Shetland Reel online shop.
Key Botanical(s): Coffee Beans, Oranges
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 40% vol
Goes great with: A twist of orange, tonic and ice.
Up Helly Aa Gin from Shetland Reel is a yearly limited edition series of Scottish Gins, which are traditionally cask aged Scottish Gins, launched to celebrate the annual Up Helly Aa festival. The Up Helly Aa festival started in the 1880’s and happens every January in Lerwick, the capital of the Shetland Islands and is a celebration of the islands Viking connections. The festival is led by the ‘Guizer Jarl’, the chief Viking who leads squads of Vikings through Lerwick. It’s tradition that the squads stop by certain venues called ‘halls’ where the squads are expected to tell stories and entertain the locals in exchange for food and drink. The festival culminates with the squad marching through the town centre at night towards the harbour bearing flaming torches. A Viking longboat is then set ablaze as hundreds of Vikings throw their flaming torches on the longboat, setting it ablaze to the sound of war cries, chants and celebrations. Each Up Helly Aa Gin is limited edition release and unique for each year, along with the ABV, botanicals and cask used to age the gin.
Key Botanical(s): Botanicals vary depending on year.
Gin Style: Cask Aged
Strength: ABV varies depending on year.
Goes great with: Suggested serve varies depending on year.
This special edition Hubbelskyu (meaning 'uproar') Gin was made in collaboration with the Shetland Folk Festival Committee, with the Festival celebrating its 40th anniversary. The main botanicals used to create this gin were juniper, coriander, orange and lemon peel and Bladderwrack seaweed, which is used in the award-winning Ocean Sent Gin. The gin was then settled in a sherry cask and has been bottled at 40% ABV to celebrate the 40 years.
Key Botanical(s): Juniper, Coriander, Orange Peel, Lemon Peel
Gin Style: Cask Aged
Strength: 40% vol
Goes great with: A slice of pink grapefruit, Mediterranean tonic and ice.
The distillery team have chosen locally foraged Hawthorn berries as the key botanical in this festive release. The unique green leaves and vibrant red berries of Hawthorn evoke festive feelings, embodying the very essence of a truly special festive spirit. Utilising an abundance of Hawthorn berries, Shetland Reel has created a unique profile of gin, where mellow berry notes are complemented by the spice of the juniper berries to create a smooth gin. The gin starts off with a typical juniper spice but quickly leads into a very smooth woody and mild berry flavour. Very mellow and easy to drink neat.
Key Botanical(s): Juniper, Hawthorn Berries
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 40% vol
Goes great with: A slice of pink grapefruit or a sprig of thyme, tonic and ice.
Countdown Gin celebrates the UK's first ever vertical satellite launch, which is set to take place in Unst in 2022. Unst is Britain's most northerly inhabited island and it's been chosen as Europe's premiere spaceport with the creation of the Shetland Space Centre, introducing an exciting new industry for the Shetland Islands and all the economic opportunities that will bring.
Key Botanical(s): Apple Mint
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 40% vol
Goes great with: A wedge of pink grapefruit, tonic and ice.
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