King’s Hill is a small batch Scottish Gin handcrafted in the Pentland Hills, Edinburgh. Made in batches of around 200 bottles in Marion, a traditional Iberian copper pot still, King’s Hill combines traditional gin botanicals such as juniper, orris root and coriander with botanicals handpicked from the Pentland Hills including gorse and elderflower.
King’s Hill Gin takes its name from a bet between King Robert the Bruce and Sir William ‘The Crusader’ Sinclair of Roslin. The wager – to catch the elusive white Pentland Stag – was won by Sinclair who named the hill side in the King’s honour. Created with botanicals grown high in the hill that he won from the king, King’s Hill Gin is a salute to the Crusader.
Piney juniper berries form the perfect backbone of this gin. Locally foraged heather, rosehips, gorse and elderflower add smoothness, depth and character. On the nose, fresh, fruity with piney juniper. To taste, smooth, sweet, full bodied and aromatic. The copper embellishment front and centre on the new bottle is a nod to the beautiful handmade copper pot still Marion. The blue hue fading to clear is representative of the beautiful clear water used from Glencorse. Finally the diamond/jewel effect and texture of the glass, especially when sparkling in the sun, is a nod to the royal inspiration behind the gin, King Robert the Bruce.
Key Botanical(s): Rosehip, Heather, Gorse, Elderflower
Gin Style: London Dry
Strength: 44% vol
Goes great with: A slice of grapefruit, Mediterranean tonic and ice.
Following the success of their small batch Rhubarb & Amaretto Gin Liqueur, the King’s Hill team have added this new full strength fruit flavoured Rhubarb & Raspberry gin to their range. Their signature King’s Hill Gin, which comes in a custom sky blue bottle, has been infused with rhubarb and raspberries to create a pink King’s Hill Gin, decanted into a clear version of the custom bottle, ultimately presented as a beautiful pink coloured gin.
Key Botanical(s): Rhubarb, Raspberry
Gin Style: Flavoured
Strength: 38% vol
Goes great with: A few fresh raspberries, tonic and ice.
Situated in an inconspicuous industrial unit, The Pentland Still distillery sits on the outskirts of Scotland’s capital city Edinburgh, overlooked by the imposing Pentland Hills. The distillery features a traditional Iberian copper pot still named Marion after distiller Sandy’s grandmother. The distillery also houses a tasting room and botanical store and a full-size Nordic Shuttleboard game.
Tour: No
Shop: No
Booking: Not open to the public
You can learn more about the maker by clicking the links below.
