Isle of Bute Oyster Gin - a taste out of the ordinary
The Isle of Bute is a quaint Scottish island and is the inspiration behind this small-batch gin. After our gin tour of Scotland this year, we learned there is so much more to see and this island and distillery are on our list for sure.
The Isle of Bute Distillery, Lead Distiller, Simon Tardivel, has worked all over the world as a multi-award-winning distiller and brewer, before falling in love with the Isle of Bute while living there. Simon claims that Bute’s landscape and wild places are the driving force behind the recipes that create this selection of small-batch gin. Using a traditional copper still, the gin embodies the very best in craft production. They source botanicals from across the island to create their collection of beautiful small-batch gins. The bottle The love and care are also taken on the bottles, I love the design of the purple pattern of the oyster shell back label reflecting through the bottle. I was so excited to try this, I immediately went out and bought some fish for tea! The Taste The Isle of Bute produced the world’s first oyster gin (there are a few more now but we won't talk about them here). Naturally made, the distillery adds Scottish oyster shells (not oysters themselves) from Loch Fyne Oysters and delicate maritime essence. The Oysters come from the waters of the west coast of Scotland where they are famous for their oyster beds. These oyster shells come from the beautiful Loch Fyne, Scotland’s longest sea loch, extending 40 miles inland from the Sound of Bute. It is then blended with citrus and other botanicals ( 7 in total) to create a savory gin. Perfect Serve First, as recommended I tasted Oyster Gin neat, the taste profile is a smooth, complex mix of flavours. I was expecting 'fishy" but what you actually get is crisp citrus notes, saline, and juniper. As recommended, it is the perfect pair to seafood and the ideal base for a martini. For our supper, I made cod wrapped in pancetta, with roasted vegetables and samphire. I served mine with Med Tonic (I didn't have a Walter Gregor left), lots and lots of ice, and samphire. Absolutely delicious and cheered up my Monday.
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