Redcastle Gin

Nearing the end of our series of last year’s top 10 Scottish Gins, as voted for in our consumer Choice Awards, we’re delighted to feature Redcastle Gin, which came in at number 3!

Multi-award-winning Redcastle Gin got off to an exciting start. A few weeks after agreeing to a new partnership to start creating the gin, Co-Founder Fiona Walsh discovered she was expecting her second baby, who was born less than 3 months after the team sold their first bottles of Redcastle Gin!

Fiona recalls that being pregnant throughout the recipe creation was frustrating but, thanks to a heightened sense of smell, she was able to pick up and analyse every note in the gin.  As a result of this, Redcastle is an exceptional gin which delivers on the nose as well as the taste buds. The gin was initially made in partnership with Lewis Scothern, the master distiller of Distillutions, Arbroath, but after getting the green light from HMRC, they started distilling at their brand home in Carmyllie, Angus.

The team at Redcastle Gin use a single-fold distillation process and an abundance of hand-selected botanicals to deliver an exceptionally smooth, full-flavoured & clean tasting gin.  

Redcastle is a punchy citrus spice gin with notes of juniper, pink peppercorn, lemon & kaffir lime.  Warming notes of star anise & ginger are in the background, providing complexity & depth of flavour. A lasting finish with lemony notes of fresh cardamom.

We caught up with founder, Fiona Walsh, to find out a bit more about a busy few months, changes that are taking place at Redcastle and what the future holds.

What does 2020 hold for Redcastle Gin?

Well, after an unexpected end to 2019, Redcastle Gin is now under new ownership with original founder Fiona Walsh still at the helm. She is joined by her husband, John, and sister, Angie Jarron. We have exciting plans for NPD, as well as moving to new premises. We are committed to being more environmentally friendly and are removing all plastic from our packaging too.

What were your biggest achievements last year?

Obviously coming 3rd in the consumer poll was a huge achievement for a wee brand like us! We have a very loyal consumer base and we were chuffed they took the time to vote for us.
We doubled our turnover and bottled 20,000 units! Our first export orders went out the door to France and Holland which was all part of the plan for year 2. We also achieved a listing within Coop stores which was a lovely surprise and gave our volume a boost.

What are you (and your team) personally looking forward to this year?

We can’t wait to get cracking under the new Toll House Spirits ownership!
We are a close family and are looking forward to working together. As a mum to two little boys, I am looking forward to having a team around me who I can trust and who will allow me to spend a little bit more precious time with my young family.

What did it mean to you to be voted in the Top 10 Gins in the 2019 Consumer Choice Awards?

We were so chuffed to be voted 3rd and ensured that every bottle carried the medal sticker with pride! We’ve won a few awards but this one, as it is voted for by the public, means a lot!
As a bonus, we also saw a lift in sales, with people looking to stock the top 10 range.

Don’t miss out on your chance to vote for your favourite Scottish Gin in our 2020 Consumer Choice Awards here.