Kinrara distillery
| Location | Lynwilg Farm Steading, Aviemore PH22 1PZ, Scotland, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 57°10′23″N 3°51′08″W / 57.1731°N 3.8522°W |
| Owner | Kinrara Distillery Limited |
| Founded | 2018 |
| Founder | Duncan Kirk Fletcher Kevin Paterson Fletcher |
| Status | Operational |
| No. of stills | 2 x 100 litre direct fire pot stills[1] |
| Website | www |
| Location | |
Kinrara distillery is a gin distillery near Aviemore, Scotland, in the Cairngorms National Park.
History
The distillery is built within a former milking parlour and farm steading.[2][3] Historically, the area was the private estate of Jane Gordon, Duchess of Gordon, founder of the Gordon Highlanders.[2]
Planning permission was sought for the site in 2017.[4] The distillery started spirit production in 2018.[5] The gin was listed in Lidl supermarkets later that year.[6]
From April 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the distillery produced hand sanitiser for NHS Highland.[5] Sanitiser was also donated to mountain rescue teams and care homes.[3] When restrictions were relaxed, the distillery opened an onsite shop to the public for the first time.[7]
Products
The flagship product is Kinrara Highland Dry gin. Some of the botanicals used, such as rosehips and rowanberries are foraged from the Kinrara Estate.[5]
Several "Artist's Edition" limited edition bottlings have been released, including Freya, which uses local heather as a botanical.[2] A further special edition gin, called Cairngorm Whiteout, was released in support of the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team.[3]
Awards
Several Kinrara gins have been regcognised in competition. The core Highland Dry gin won "Best Scottish Contemporary Gin" at both the 2021 and 2022 World Gin Awards.[5][8] The limited edition "Caper" gin was awarded "Best Signature Botanical Gin" at the World Gin Awards 2025.[9]
The distillery was a finalist in the "Gin Tourist Destination of the Year" category at the Scottish Gin Awards 2023.[10]
References
- ^ "A Recipe for Gin: Freya Gin, Kinrara Distillery". The Gin Cooperative. 3 June 2021.
- ^ a b c "Meet the Distiller: David Wilson, Kinrara Distillery". The Gin Cooperative. 21 April 2020.
- ^ a b c Ramage, Tom (22 June 2020). "Aviemore gin maker churns out Covid-19 help". Strathspey & Badenoch Herald.
- ^ Crichton, Emma (26 October 2017). "Plans for a micro-distillery in Aviemore stepped up".
- ^ a b c d Ramage, Tom (4 March 2021). "Aviemore makes 'Scots' best gin'". Strathspey & Badenoch Herald.
- ^ Murphy, Sean (31 October 2018). "Lidl release second Scottish gin festival line up".
- ^ Erskine, Rosalind (7 July 2020). "Kinrara Distillery to open to the public for the first time". The Scotsman.
- ^ Kennedy, Joseph (31 January 2022). "Highland Distillery Wins Big at 2022 World Gin Awards". The Highland Times.
- ^ Musgrove, Gavin (21 June 2025). "Aviemore distillery staff cock-a-hoop after winning world's best gin award". Strathspey & Badenoch Herald.
- ^ Erskine, Rosalind (14 November 2023). "Winners of the 2023 Scottish Gin Awards announced - including North Uist Distillery and Edinburgh Gin". The Scotsman.