Our Scottish Gin Botanicals
Find out what's at the Heart of our products
Scottish Gin Botanicals
The Heart of Our Craft & Tradition 💙
We craft our spirits with a focused mix of Scottish gin botanicals and a few carefully sourced exotics. Some are foraged in season, others come from trusted growers, and every one earns its place in the glass. A pinch of Blackthorn Salt helps knit flavours together and lengthen the finish.
We distil pure grain spirit and draw it from the still at around 70% ABV. Subsequently, we proof it down using filtered water from the Ochil Hills. This careful process brings clarity, smoothness, and a refined finish to every pour.
As a true London Dry Gin, all flavour comes solely from distillation. We never add sweeteners or artificial flavourings. This creates depth, natural balance, and a truly authentic spirit.
Why Copper Is King
Copper isn’t just traditional—it’s functional. Copper contact strips sulphur compounds and harsh volatiles, polishing the spirit for a cleaner aroma and taste. The onion head and bubble plates increase reflux and separation, delivering a brighter, more aromatic distillate. We pair generous copper contact with stainless efficiency to balance flavour, consistency and yield.
Above all, our flavour comes from hand-selected Scottish botanicals. We choose each for its quality and how it behaves during distillation.
From bold juniper and bright citrus to warming spices and delicate florals, every element builds the smooth, complex character of a spirit. Made with Celtic soul and small-batch precision.
How We Craft Our Scottish Gin 💙
At Heart of Scotland Distillery, every small batch starts with tradition and precision.
We distil pure grain spirit in copper stills, proofed with filtered Ochil Hills water for smoothness and clarity. As a true London Dry Gin, all flavour comes from distillation — no sweeteners, no artificial additives.
A vapour basket gently infuses citrus, spice, and florals, preserving fresh, layered flavour. The still’s shape fine-tunes texture and aroma, while hand-selected Scottish botanicals bring bold juniper, bright citrus, and warming spice together in every sip.
Crafted with Celtic soul, made to be savoured.
- Those We Source
- Those We Forage
- Those We Grow
We Source
Juniper Berries (Juniperus Communis)
e prioritise organic ingredients to highlight what makes our spirits sing. While juniper doesn’t thrive in Scotland’s climate, we ethically source it from certified organic farms in Albania, ensuring full traceability and consistency in every batch.
Botanically speaking, juniper isn’t a true berry at all—it’s a seed cone that takes two to three years to fully mature into what we commonly call the “juniper berry.” That slow ripening concentrates the bright pine, resin, and citrus-peel notes that form the backbone of our gin, carrying the other botanicals and finishing clean.
Juniper also has a long place in herbal tradition—historically used for digestion and to refresh the senses. We share this as heritage, not as a health claim; for us, the focus is on flavour, balance, and the classic character that juniper brings to Scottish craft gin.
Coriander Seeds (Coriandrum Sativum)
Native to the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern climates these wonderful little seeds. Add a slight dryness to our gin along with warm aromatic flavour.
Coriander is a rich antioxidant and has been used as an herbal medicine to control blood sugar and digestive health. We source these ethically from organic suppliers in Egypt.
Scottish Sea Salt
This unique gin ingredient sourced from Blackthorn Salts of Ayr. Made from 100% West Coast Sea water, dried by the wind and nothing else.
We incorporate this Scottish gin botanical into every batch as a tribute to the Celtic Sea god and goddess “Mannan” and “Manau “.
In the form of the finest sea salt in every batch of our vodka and gin that we run.
This unique Scottish gin botanical In return they bless us with a unique taste and enhances the yield of our spirits.
While we cherish this connection to ancient mythology, there’s also a touch of science involved.
The addition of sea salt subtly influences the flavour profile, contributing to the distinctive character of our spirits.
This practice is part of our broader commitment to preserving and celebrating our Heritage.
Where tradition and craftsmanship come together to create exceptional spirits.
Green Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum)
Our green cardamom pods are ethically sourced from trusted growers. They bring bright citrus and gentle eucalyptus notes that lift the nose and add a clean, aromatic line through the palate. Used sparingly to keep the balance with juniper.
We Forage
Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis Odorata)
Often misspelled online as “sweet Chivas,” sweet cicely is a wild Scottish herb that thrives along hedgerows, fields, and riverbanks. We forage it on ground tied to the ancestral hunting routes of Robert the Bruce, keeping our craft rooted in place and season.
As a member of the carrot family, it’s sometimes mistaken for toxic hemlock—however, sweet cicely’s distinct aniseed aroma in late spring and early summer sets it apart. (Only forage when you’re 100% certain of identification.)
We chop and use both the leaves and seed pods, bringing a soft, liquorice-like depth that softens sharper citrus and adds a silky mouthfeel. Historically used before sugar to sweeten foods and drinks, it lends natural sweetness and balance to our gin—and it pairs beautifully with Blackthorn Salt to round the finish. A standout among our Scottish gin botanicals, it’s a quiet hero in our craft gin flavour profile.
Chamomile (Matricaria Chamomilla)
Commonly foraged across Scotland and easily recognised as a giant daisy.
Wild chamomile is not a typical gin ingredient, but one that brings gentle complexity to our botanical blend.
Traditionally valued for its calming effects, chamomile belongs to the daisy family — long known for soothing properties
This delicate flower helps mellow the transition across the cuts, softening sharper edges and adding a light, fruity-floral note.
It adds a subtle apple aroma, especially when crushed — a signature note in our Scottish gin botanicals.
We Grow
We cultivate our own Scottish gin botanicals — lavender, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, elderflower, and sage in our established gardens.
After harvesting, we carefully dry and preserve them for year-round use across our seasonal craft gin and vodka ranges.
As the seasons change, so do our vodka and gin ingredients.We forage berries in autumn for our winter spirits and tap birch sap in early spring to craft vibrant, nature-inspired craft gin and vodka.
