Stirling Distillery was established in 2015 by husband and wife Cameron and June McCann. The couple relocated from London to Scotland in 2007 with their young family, seeking a change of pace and new beginnings after Cameron took early retirement from his career in the London Metropolitan Police. The couple started their first business on the banks of Loch Lomond in 2007, an art gallery and whisky shop, before opening a second shop in Stirling.
In 2010, the couple started the Stirling Whisky Festival, followed by the Stirling Gin Festival and, more recently, the Stirling Spirits Festival. The couple realised that although a growing number of Scottish Gin brands were exhibiting at their events, there were no Stirling-based Scottish Gin brands. Cameron and June McCann decided that Stirling deserved a Scottish Gin made in the city.
The couple started scouting for local botanicals whenever they were walking their dog, eventually discovering a range of botanicals within the local area. Cameron and June also invested in a small 2.4 litre still called ‘Jinty’. They developed a range of recipes over the next few months until they had created a recipe that featured some local botanicals and a flavour profile they were happy with. Cameron and June spent their 26th wedding anniversary not enjoying a long weekend away somewhere romantic but busy distilling their first batch of Stirling Gin, which proved extremely popular, and due to demand, the couple quickly realised they would need not only a bigger still to meet demand but a larger dedicated distillery space.
Sites within the Stirling Castle area of the city rarely came to market and the ones that did almost always came with many planning restrictions due to the area’s history. However, Cameron and June knew that creating a distillery near Stirling Castle would provide a truly stunning backdrop for their distillery, creating a link to the city’s history. One site that caught Cameron and June’s attention was the ‘Old Smiddy’ building, which was once a blacksmith’s workshop built in 1888. It would have once been busy with the noise of blacksmiths, hammers, anvils, and the smell of open furnaces, and the smithies would be busy creating a variety of ironmongery for use around the city.
When the couple took on the ‘Old Smiddy’, it had sat empty for several years. It was utterly derelict, with no mains electricity, water or even a floor. The building was an empty shell with weeds overflowing from the gutters and was an eyesore in the local area. Still, Cameron and June both saw the building’s potential and started on a four-year journey, converting the old, sad and empty building into the Stirling Distillery. With a lot of sympathetic planning and design, Cameron and June retained much of the building’s original character and features whilst creating a working distillery home to a 300-litre traditional Portuguese copper alembic pot still named ‘Flora’ after June’s mum. The distillery also features a bar area, Scottish Gin school and shop.
Since that original evening spent distilling their first batch of Stirling Gin, the couple, along with their daughter Elle and a growing team, have launched a range of Scottish Gins and spirits, including the creation of the first whisky to be made in Stirling for over 170 years and scheduled for release towards the end of 2026. Cameron and June have hosted countless gin tastings, cocktail masterclasses, and gin schools at the distillery, forging ahead with producing award-winning spirits in the heart of Stirling.
Stirling Gin is the signature gin from Stirling Distillery and features six carefully selected botanicals including juniper, basil, citrus peel, angelica root along with locally foraged nettles. Bold juniper is balanced with green, herbaceous notes of basil and spice, lifted with notes of citrus. The finish provides a lingering, pepper and spice.
Key Botanical(s): Stirlingshire Nettles, Basil, Orange Peel
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 43% vol
Goes great with: Torn basil, orange peel, tonic and ice.
Stirling Gin Battle Strength Gin uses the signature Stirling Gin recipe but is bottled at the higher 55% ABV. The flavours are amplified with a deeper mouthfeel. Juniper, citrus, spice and herbs are all present creating a complex, balanced flavour profile that provides plenty of bold flavours across the palate and finish.
Key Botanical(s): Stirlingshire Nettle, Basil
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 55% vol
Goes great with: Torn basil, orange peel, tonic and ice.
Stirling Winter Gin is a seasonal, limited edition release from Stirling Distillery that combines an infusion of apples from the founder's garden along with allspice, cinnamon, ginger, orange peel, milk thistle and rhubarb root. A festive flavour profile reminiscent of an apple strudel with fresh and tasty apple notes layer with gentle, warming, aromatic, sweet spices. The milk thistle adds a slightly creamy mouthfeel, and rhubarb root adds a subtle tart, fruit note on the warming finish. Bottled at 46% ABV, the gin is balanced and full of winter warming, festive flavours. The bottle is adorned with the Wolfs of Stirling, who were said to have howled when Viking raiders approached the city, alerting the townspeople that danger was close.
The Gin Cooperative Awards for Stirling Winter Gin include:
• Gold - Consumer Judges Award 2024
• Bronze - Scottish Gin & Tonic Award 2024
• Bronze - Distilled Scottish Gin Award 2024
Key Botanical(s): Apple, Cinnamon, Ginger
Gin Style: Distilled Scottish Gin
Strength: 46% ABV
Goes great with: Torn basil, orange peel, tonic and ice.
Stirling Pink Gin is distilled with twelve botanicals including rose petals, pink peppercorn and pink grapefruit. The gin takes its inspiration from one of the many local legends, the ghost of the Pink Lady. The story goes that the Pink Lady died of a broken heart shortly after her true love, a brave Scots knight, died in battle defending Stirling castle in 1304. Her lonely spirit is said to be wandering the Castle and the Kirk Tower in the dead of night in her elegant and distinct pink robes.
Key Botanical(s): Rose Petals, Pink Peppercorn, Pink Grapefruit
Gin Style: Flavoured
Strength: 40% vol
Goes great with: A slice of pink grapefruit, tonic and ice.
Created in recognition of the UK’s police forces 200 plus year service, 20% of the profits from sales of Gin Blue Line are donated to police charities supporting serving and retired police officers. Gin Blue Line features a range of botanicals including forget-me-nots, Scottish heather, sage and kaffir lime leaves along with a number of classic gin botanicals. The flavour profile encompasses citrus, floral, sweet and spice.
Key Botanical(s): Forget Me Not Petals, Sage, Kaffir Lime
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 43% vol
Goes great with: A wedge of lime, tonic and ice.
The Stirling Distillery is housed in what was locally known as the ‘Old Smiddy’, just a short walk from the historic Stirling Castle. The new distillery has been sympathetically fitted out to accommodate some of the modern workings of a distillery without compromising on the character of the old building. The distillery features a shop area and distillery, along with a tasting area where tours, tastings and the gin school are held. With a variety of Scottish Gin experiences available and a number of Scottish spirits related events including whisky tastings, the new distillery has put the spirit of Scotland back into Stirling.
Tour: Yes
Gin School: Yes
Shop: Yes
Booking: Book a Stirling Distillery experience here
You can learn more about Stirling Distillery by clicking the links below.
