About The Distillery
OUR BEGINNINGS
Ice and Fire Distillery started out on tiny alembic stoves heated on the aga to develop our recipes and then progressed onto 5l, 10l and 20 litre alembic stills.
We pick as many botanicals as we can from the local area and grow our own angelica, elderflower, rhubarb, sage, mint, lemon thyme, thyme, rowan berries, lavender and Jacobean Roses in the garden.
Not all of these botanicals are used in Caithness Gin and Crofters Tears but will be for the limited editions next summer.
The weather can be harsh in Caithness with biting winds in the winter and due to a lack of trees this can make it very difficult to grow some of the more exotic botanicals.
POT STILLS
Not all of these botanicals are used in Caithness Gin and Crofters Tears but will be for the limited edition next summer.
The weather can be harsh in Caithness with biting winds in the winter and due to a lack of trees this can make it very difficult to grow some of the more exotic botanicals.
The entire Ice and Fire Distillery process is undertaken by the family. We distil our spirits in the shed, hand bottle and apply the labels and wax ourselves.
CROFTER’S TEARS
This beautifully smooth gin embodies the Highland in both taste and looks. Resplendent in a purple heather embossed bottle, our hero signature ingredient could be none other than wild Highland Heather. The purple flowers are ablaze during the month of August and we pick the purple heather flowers for this gin. The heather is blended with fresh lime peel, and orange peel in a juniper led base of botanicals. This is best served with fevertree tonic and a fresh bramble berry to bring out the unique taste of the Highlands.
CAITHNESS
Caithness Highland Gin is a truly Crofting garden gin with our two hero signature ingredients from our croft. Rhubarb grows in every highland crofting garden and we also use salmonberries which are similar to wild raspberries. These are blended with a juniper and coriander base but with hints of liquorice in the undertones. This distinct, fruity, citrus gin makes a beautiful G & T when served with fevertree tonic, a swirl of lime peel and a fresh raspberry to bring out the fruity taste.
OUR PROCESS
HEADS
This is the first and strongest part of the distillation and contains some stronger flavours which we don’t want in our gin. The skill of the distiller distinguishes this first portion and it is collected and discarded.
HEARTS
The second portion is called the ‘Hearts’ and represents the main body of the distillation and is the highest quality part of the distillation. At Ice and Fire Distillery we only use the hearts in our gin to ensure the highest quality premium product.
TAILS
The final portion is the ‘Tails’ which are low in alcohol and can feel heavy and oily on the palate. We don’t use the heads in our gins as we only ever use the best quality part of the distillation.
OUR FINISHING TOUCH
All of our products are hand bottled on site and then the bottles are labelled. The smaller 5cl, 10cl and 20cl bottles are waxed using a beautiful rose gold colour and a pearlescent misty violet to complement the labels. This entire process is undertaken on our small Highland Croft.
