Chapter two for Isle of Barra Distillers as they welcome their new still – Ada.

In the current climate, any good news is always very welcome and this week, we were delighted to get the news that Isle of Barra Distillers has taken delivery of Ada, their (very) shiny new copper still.

Since their launch in August 2017, the Isle of Barra Distillers has grown from strength to strength. Their gin was initially contract-distilled in London before they were able to open Scotland’s most westerly distillery and the first legal distillery on the Isle of Barra in May 2019.

With their success, they found they could not keep up with the demand and had to have a second still temporarily installed alongside their original small still so they could produce larger volumes of gin. But now they are delighted to reveal their stunning new 300-litre copper still, named Ada after owners Michael & Katie Morrison’s daughter who was born right at the beginning of lockdown.

The new copper still was custom built and installed by the world-renowned Forsyths just two weeks ago and since then, the team have been perfecting the new still Barra Atlantic Gin. All botanicals remain the same as in the original gin, the new version has an even smoother flavour than the original.

We were extremely lucky to have been gifted a bottle of the new still Barra Atlantic Gin and have had the opportunity to try it for ourselves. The first thing we had to marvel at was the stunning packaging it arrived in. If you are looking for a very special gift for someone, this delightful box would fit the bill. And as for the gin inside? An utterly mesmerising mix of flavours combine perfectly in this sturdy, dry gin.

Our mind is on the seashore and the underlying saltiness of the shoreline botanicals is notable but topped off by the core juniper and earthy herbaceousness with fresh floral and citrus notes. Yes, there’s a lot going on in this gin, but it’s balanced and smooth and served simply with ice and tonic, is a very pleasing, fresh dry drink.

It’s described as an island-born, fearless gin and we have to agree this gin has some feistiness! Well done Ada, we’ll be coming back for more!