A happy detour to Persie Distillery

We never imagined that the first time we would visit here was purely by chance, and by taking the scenic route via Bridge of Cally, Perthshire to a distillery on the other side of Glenshee. (At least it would have been scenic if it wasn’t for very dense fog.)

Luckily, both Simon and Tim were in the Persie Distillery, busy fulfilling orders in time for Christmas. Their welcome was warm – especially as we arrived unannounced, and the tour was very interesting. If you ever find yourself in that neck of the woods, we urge you to pay a visit. Please check their website for opening hours.

The team at Persie know a thing or two about gin, especially as Simon and Chrissie Fairclough are founders of both Gin Club Scotland, and an award-winning distillery. Persie Gin was born through feedback at tastings throughout the years touring the UK. Their core range is in response to clear and distinct flavour profiles which led to the production of: Zesty Citrus Gin, Herby & Aromatic Gin and, Sweet & Nutty Old Tom Gin.

Smell is key to the Persie ethos, especially as 75% of taste is determined through smell. Their tagline is ‘We nose our gin’ so you can expect each of these gins to be aromatic.

Hand-made in small batches in a handsome bespoke, 230-litre copper pot still, called Phil. The gin is distilled with pure glen water from the local hills. Each gin uses carefully chosen botanicals to evoke an emotive and comforting scent: sharp citrus for the fruity gin; fresh herbs for the savoury gin; and almonds and vanilla pods for the sweet gin.

They have recently added 3 more gins to their Persie range, or should we say litter? Dog Days Gin a winner at the recent Scottish Gin Awards (silver for Best Distilled Gin). However, it is the Labrador and Spaniel gins that caught our attention – Perise are proud to support PADS (Perthshire Abandoned Dogs Society) by donating £1 per bottle to help rescue and re-home unwanted dogs.

Like many of the distilleries we visit – distilling, bottling and distribution is done by hand under one roof at the distillery. However, due to demand, they are in the midst of extending the distillery, which is really exciting news for the team.

Aspiring distillers can also learn the art of distilling here, with courses tailored to the level of experience necessary, please contact snifter@persiedistillery.com for more information.

You can find out more about visiting Persie Distillery and buy their range of gins here.