An Aberdeenshire distillery has announced a new stovies-inspired gin just in time for Christmas.
Little Brown Dog Spirits in Fetternear has unveiled #projectStovies, the latest in its annual series of experimental spirits. The distillers has joined forces with Marshall’s Farm Shop to create its "most Aberdeenshire-iest creation to date".
Every year, Little Brown Dog Spirits produces a limited-edition release inspired by a particular theme or idea. For the 2022 edition, it chose to base the spirit on the iconic Scottish dish of stovies.
Traditionally, stovies is based on potatoes, fat, onions, and pieces of meat. However, recipes and ingredients can vary wildly.
To make the gin, Little Brown Dog Spirits used carrots, neeps, and beetroot grown by Marshall’s, as well as oats from the field beside the distillery, as a nod to the dish's traditional side of beetroot and oatcakes. According to the distillery, the oats provide a "creamy texture" to the gin, while the root vegetables add "herbaceous fresh flavours".
These ingredients have been distilled with roasted juniper and black pepper. Since the ingredients are locally sourced, they can go from field to still in around 30 minutes, which according to Little Brown Dog Spirits "accentuates the freshness".
Meanwhile, the juniper is roasted before the distillation to elevate the richness of the gin. As a result, #projectStovies is herbal gin with gentle warming spice that is "the perfect dram for an Aberdeenshire Winter".
The production of the new gin has been guided by Little Brown Dog Spirits' aim of transparency in its process, as well as the use of local ingredients. All of the grown ingredients have been geotagged with what3words, an app that uses geographic coordinates to pinpoint an exact location correct to three square metres, meaning consumers are able to look up exactly where they all came from.
#ProjectStovies will launch on November 24 at Marshall’s Farm Shop evening market, where guests will have the opportunity to taste the unusual new gin. Only 300 bottles have been produced, which will be available nationally from selected retailers, as well as Little Brown Dog Spirits itself after Thursday.
More information is available on the Little Brown Dog Spirits website.
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