An online survey of Scotland’s gin lovers has revealed that Isle of Harris Gin is the nation’s favourite Scottish gin for the second year in a row.
The consumer survey is run by The Scottish Gin Society, a not-for-profit organisation that promotes and celebrates the Scottish gin industry. In total, 6435 unique votes were cast, almost double that of the responses received in 2018.
The voting public overwhelmingly selected Isle of Harris as the top Scottish gin with 21% of the votes. Self-described as ‘The Social Distillery’, Isle of Harris Gin is only available directly from the island distillery in order to support local jobs and the island economy.
After receiving one in five of the votes cast, this unique distillery ethos has clearly captured the imagination of gin lovers across Scotland and built impressive customer loyalty for this award-winning brand.
Simon Erlanger, MD, Isle of Harris Distillers, said: ‘Everyone at the Isle of Harris Distillery is really excited to hear that our Isle of Harris gin has been voted the nation’s favourite in The Scottish Gin Society’s survey for the second year in a row.
‘It is especially good news to know that our gin, despite being only three years old, continues to gain recognition on a national scale and our ethos has really captured the public’s imagination. We are so pleased and proud to know that gin lovers enjoy the flavour and unique story of our world-class gin as much as we do.’
Smaller gins enjoyed success throughout the survey, reflecting the loyal following of many smaller brands, and the diverse landscape of the Scottish gin industry in general. Whilst brands such as Edinburgh Gin, Caorunn Gin and Hendrick’s appeared in the top ten in 2018, the most recent survey shows a departure from the big names in favour of the rise of smaller distilleries. For example, in 2019 the sustainably sourced Kintyre Botanical Gin takes second place, whilst Redcastle Gin lies in third position.
The full top ten list of gins as voted for by the Scottish gin loving public are:
Isle of Harris Gin (Tarbert, Isle of Harris);
Kintyre Botanical Gin (Campbeltown, Argyll);
Redcastle Gin (Angus);
Kirkjuvagr Gin (Orkney);
The Teasmith Gin (Udny, Aberdeenshire);
Crag & Tail Gin (Angus);
Kinrara Highland Gin (Aviemore);
The Old Curiosity Gin (Edinburgh);
Lussa Gin (Ardlussa, Jura);
McLean’s Gin (Strathaven, South Lanarkshire).
The Scottish Gin Society’s survey also asked consumers what they prefer to drink with their gin. Unsurprisingly, nearly 50% of respondents voted for tonic as their favourite mixer, with a further 21% specifying a diet tonic and 13% selecting a flavoured tonic. With an impressive 65% share of the vote, the nation’s runaway favourite tonic brand is Fever Tree.
Stephen White, founder of the Scottish Gin Society said: ‘We believe The Scottish Gin Society survey to be the largest of its kind and are delighted to have received twice as many responses in 2019. The results show that the popularity of Scottish gin is still growing, especially with all the new entrants appearing in this year’s survey. We would like to congratulate the brands involved as they are all producing exceptional products and look forward to the bright future of the gin industry in Scotland.’
The Scottish Gin Society is a not-for-profit organisation that exists to promote and celebrate the wonderful world of Scottish gin. It was the first organisation to produce an interactive online distillery map and an A-Z of Scottish gins in order to educate consumers about where their favourite gins are produced. The Society engages with followers from across the globe with a combined social media following in excess of 120,000.
The Scottish Gin Society’s A-Z of Scottish gins now lists 139 separate gins from nearly 70 separate distilleries. It is estimated that some 70-80% of UK produced gin comes from Scotland.
For further information visit www.thescottishginsociety.com.
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