The Strontian Distillery, based in the village of Strontian, nestled on the north shore of Loch Sunart in Western Lochaber, close to the Scottish west coast, is the brainchild of husband-and-wife team Graeme and Vicki Aitken. With their backgrounds in design and the arts, an ambition to establish a business that captured the essence of their new home, plus a love of gin, all came together with the launch of The Strontian Distillery in 2024.
After relocating from the east coast of Scotland to the west in 2020, the couple found themselves captivated by the striking natural beauty, rich history, and vibrant folklore of the village and surrounding area. The local area is rich in diverse and unique geology, including the discovery of the chemical element strontium, which was discovered in 1790 by chemist and physician Adair Crawford.
Like many other Scottish gin brand founders, Graeme and Vicki’s long-term plans are to open a commercial distillery in Strontian. Still, they wanted to initially focus on launching their brand and create a core range of Scottish Gins that respectfully incorporated their area’s local folklore and elements of the local area. The couple sought out the expertise of the team at Lost Loch Distillery, who helped the couple develop a range of recipes for what would eventually become their four core Scottish Gins – Ariundle, Nose of the Fairy Hill, Floating Kirk and Sr38. The recipes for the four core Scottish Gins were carefully developed to reflect and capture four elements – air, earth, fire, water, with each element and the story behind it linked to local folklore, history, community and the landscape.
Ariundle Gin celebrates the area’s ancient temperate rainforest, which is home to a rich and diverse range of plants, animals, and insects. Nose of the Fairy Hill Gin is the Scots Gaelic translation of Strontian, with the fairy hill said to be home to the Sidhe, magical beings who coexist with humans. Floating Kirk Gin is a tribute to the floating iron church built by the people of Strontian in 1843. Sr38 pays homage to the chemical element discovered in Strontian and is the only Scots Gaelic element on the periodic table.
Graeme and Vicki also collaborated with nearby artisans to design the labels and packaging, ensuring that every detail, from flavours and aromas to branding and packaging, reflects the natural wonders, ancient legends, and unique character of the area and landscape.
Long term Graeme and Vicki hope to one day open a distillery in the local area and produce a range of Scottish spirits including Scottish Gin and Scottish Rum.
Ariundle from The Strontian Distillery features a range of classic gin botanicals alongside lemongrass, lime leaf, oak wood and wood sorrel, capturing the essence of the forests and glens.
On the nose, vibrant, zesty citrus is balanced with earthy, forest undertones. On the palate, piney citrus develops into green, earthy and woody notes. The finish is rich and earthy, with green herbaceous notes that develop into notes of zingy citrus.
The inspiration for Ariundle Gin celebrates the area's Ariundle Oakwood National Nature Reserve (NNR). The forest is connected to the ancient Sunart Oakwood that once spanned the Atlantic coasts of Europe from Norway to Portugal.
Key Botanical(s): Lemongrass, Lime Leaf, Wood Sorrel
Gin Style: London Dry Scottish Gin
Strength: 43% ABV
Goes great with: A twist of lemon peel, tonic and ice.
Floating Kirk Scottish Gin from The Strontian Distillery features a range of classic gin botanicals alongside aniseed, black pepper and sugar kelp seaweed, capturing the essence of the sea, coast, loch and shore.
On the nose, aromatic aromas of rich aniseed are balanced with hints of the ocean and coast. On the palate, juniper and earthy notes merge with fresh aniseed and spicy black pepper with some earthy herbaciouness notes, citrus and hints of saline. The finish is balanced with elements of warming spices and sweet herbs with a clean, crisp coastal note.
The inspiration for Floating Kirk Scottish Gin was inspired by the church that was moored on Arnastang Bay. Landowners refused to let the locals use the existing church buildings when the Free Church split from the Church of Scotland in 1843. The solution was the local community banded together and paid to have a church on a floating platform built by a shipbuilder on the river Clyde.
Key Botanical(s): Aniseed, Black Pepper, Sugar Kelp Seaweed
Gin Style: London Dry Scottish Gin
Strength: 43% ABV
Goes great with: A slice of grapefruit, tonic and ice.
Nose of the Fairy Hill Scottish Gin from The Strontian Distillery features a range of classic gin botanicals alongside hazelnuts, lavender, and raspberries, capturing the scents of the summer breeze.
On the nose, lavender and light floral aromas meld with sweet summer raspberries and a subtle, earthy, nutty note. On the palate, bright and fresh raspberries and light, refreshing florals are balanced with hints of hazelnut and earthy undertones. The finish leads with florals before developing into a fruity, refreshing, slightly sweet finish.
The inspiration for Nose of the Fairy Hill Scottish Gin is Scots Gaelic name for Strontian, Sròn an t-Sìthein, which translates as
Nose of the Fairy Hill. With its surrounding hills, it was once believed that the smaller hills and mounds surrounding Strontian were home sídhe, a race of small supernatural elvish type creatures with the hills they inhabit acting as portals to other realms.
Key Botanical(s): Hazelnuts, Lavender, Raspberries
Gin Style: London Dry Scottish Gin
Strength: 43% ABV
Goes great with: A few fresh raspberries, tonic and ice.
Sr38 Scottish Gin from The Strontian Distillery features a range of classic gin botanicals alongside cloves, ginger, nutmeg and rowanberries, capturing the element of fire and warmth.
On the nose, rich, fragrant aromatic notes of ginger and cloves are balanced with sweet, rich nutmeg and subtle berry sweetness. On the palate, complex aromatic spices mingle with nutty notes and a slight fruity tartness. The finish provides lots of warming spices that linger and finishes with a slight sweet, red berry note.
The inspiration for Sr38 Scottish Gin is the bright red sparks, warmth and glow given off by the earth element strontium that glows bright red when ignited and also a tribute to Strontian, the area where strontium was first discovered.
Key Botanical(s): Cloves, Ginger, Nutmeg
Gin Style: London Dry Scottish Gin
Strength: 45% ABV
Goes great with: A twist of orange peel, tonic and ice.
Learn more about The Strontian Distillery by visiting the links below.
