The Royal Highland Show has partnered with craft distillers Avva Scottish Gin to create a special limited-edition gin celebrating 200 years since the very first Show took place.
The gin contains botanicals from the eight regions where the Show traditionally visited every year, before it settled at its current Ingliston showground in 1960.
The bespoke recipe of 12 botanicals includes dandelion, mint, nettle, red clover and honey that have been sourced from the 8 regions. These are combined with traditional botanicals including juniper, citrus peels, angelica root and a few secret ingredients to create a classic juniper-forward Scottish gin.
The bottle artwork features beautiful archive paintings of historic Highland Show winners – a Leicester tup, painted by Mr John Sheriff c.1844, plus a Clydesdale stallion c.1866 and a polled Angus c.1843, both painted by Mr Gourley Steel R.S.A. All three paintings are proudly displayed in Ingliston House, headquarters of RHS organisers the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS).
Every region is still celebrated in turn at the Royal Highland Show each year through a Presidential Team, which this year hails from the Highlands & Islands.
Avva Scottish Gin is distilled in Elgin, in the heart of the famous Speyside distilling region. Moray Distillery Ltd launched Avva Scottish Gin in 2016 and have since gone onto produce an award-winning portfolio of spirits.
The limited-edition gin can be purchased by visiting the online shop at royalhighlandshow.org.
RHASS Chairman, Bill Gray, commented:
“We are very excited to launch this special gin, commemorating 200 years since the first Highland Show took place in 1822.
“Avva Scottish Gin is a perfect example of a brand that is innovating and using their position in the Highlands & Islands to their advantage – their unique location allows them to create a delicious, high-quality craft gin.
“The eight regional botanicals blend perfectly with one another and we hope Highland Show fans will join us in raising a glass to 200 years of this very special show!”
Jill Brown, Distiller and Director at Moray Distillery Ltd, the home of Avva Scottish Gin, added:
“It really is such a privilege and honour to be involved with this gin and celebrate 200 years of the Show. The distillation is carried out using a botanical basket on our still, Jessie-Jean, who is the UK's first Scottish-made gin still.
“The Royal Highland Show is an event I've personally attended for around 20 years, initially to help show North Country Cheviot sheep and since 2016 with my company, which initially was an idea born out of visit to the food hall at the show.”
Supported by Royal Bank of Scotland, the Royal Highland Show will take place at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, Edinburgh, on 23-26 June 2022.
Tickets, including for car parking, must be pre-purchased online this year and no tickets will be available to buy on the gate. Tickets are limited in number this year with sell out days anticipated, so it is advised to purchase early. For further information and to purchase tickets please visit www.royalhighlandshow.org.