Balmenach Distillery, home of Caorunn Gin, Cromdale, Grantown-on-Spey PH26 3PF, Uk

Caorunn Gin a Mystery Cut Above The Rest

Caorunn Gin a Mystery Cut Above The Rest

About us

We don’t do things like other gin makers. Since 2009, Caorunn Gin has been handcrafted in small batches at Balmenach Distillery in the Speyside region of the Scottish Highlands. How can a gin shine through in a region famous for its whisky? Well, it all starts with a name.

Caorunn Gin a Mystery Cut Above The Rest

Caorunn Gin a Cut Above The Rest {pronounced ‘ka-roon’} is inspired by the Gaelic word for ‘Rowan Berry’. What’s in a name, we hear you ask? The humble rowan berry is one of five unique Celtic botanicals that are at the heart of our gin. We use Scotland’s natural pantry to hand-forage the rowan berry along with our four other Celtic botanicals; all of which can be found within a ten-minute walk of the distillery. We then pair these with six traditional gin botanicals, to create our genius recipe. Clever, eh?

We don’t stop there though. As we are the only gin in the world to be distilled in a working Copper Berry Chamber. This unique process allows us to extract maximum flavour from our botanicals and sets us apart from the rest. That’s not just ingenious, that’s Gin Genius.

Caorunn Gin a Mystery Cut Above The Rest / The Distillery

Our Unique Process

Distilled in the world’s only working Copper Berry Chamber, in a whisky distillery, find out how our clever gin distillation process helps set Caorunn apart.

What makes Caorunn Gin so unique?

Our small-batch distillation process uses a Copper Berry Chamber created in the US, back in the 1920s. The sole purpose of this chamber was to extract essential oils as a base to create perfumes, but what does this mean for crafting gin you might ask?

Well, using the Copper Berry Chamber to distil our gin means the copper works by reacting with the fragrances of our botanicals, extracting maximum flavour to create perfectly balanced and delicious gin. Pretty clever, eh?

Not only that, but we hand-forage 5 Celtic botanicals locally, and blend these with 6 classic gin botanicals to create a uniquely balanced and flavourful recipe.

Our slow distillation means the Copper Berry Chamber can take its time to create a perfectly balanced, well rounded and delicious gin with those specially selected botanicals. Not just ingenious – it’s Gin Genius.

emma did a great job explaining the process

Caorunn Gin a Mystery Cut Above The Rest / the process by

Caorunn Gin a Mystery Cut Above The Rest / The process

Stage 1

Vat No.2

Our unique distillation process is carefully crafted in small batches. We use 1,000 litres of wheat grain neutral spirit, which begins its journey in Vat No.2 as it sets out to become Caorunn Gin.

Stage 2

Vaporiser

The alcohol runs from Vat No.2 into the Vaporiser (affectionately known as Little Rocket) and is heated by steam to produce alcohol vapour. This vapour is then piped into the Copper Berry Chamber – where our ingenious infusion begins.

Stage 3

Copper Berry Chamber

The 11 botanicals in our unique blend are evenly spread across the 4 perforated trays in our famous Copper Berry Chamber. Using diffusers, we distribute the vapour slowly & evenly to make sure we extract the maximum flavours & aromas from the botanicals.

Stage 4

Feint-Tank

Feint Tank 1 sees the first botanical-infused vapour pass through the condenser & then run through the vaporiser & Copper Berry Chamber for a second time. This allows the vapour to pick up even more flavour from the botanicals. We did say it was genius.

Stage 5

Vat No.3

Once our Gin Geniuses are sure the alcohol has adopted just the right amount of botanical flavour, it’s passed to Vat No.3 while the rest of the contents pass through stages 3 & 4. This distillation process takes 3-4 hours; you can’t hurry perfection.

Stage 6

Caorunn is Bottled

Finally, after the alcohol has slowly infused the maximum flavour from our Celtic botanical blend, all 1000 litres from the batch are bottled ready for you to enjoy. Get your apples ready.

Caorunn Gin a Mystery Cut Above The Rest

Time to see what all the fuss is about.

Caorunn Gin a Cut Above The Rest

Close your eyes and you can practically smell those delicious botanicals. Go one step further and check out our range of gins.

Caorunn Gin a Mystery Cut Above The Rest

Our Gin Botanicals

Caorunn Gin a Cut Above The Rest

Fostering Gin Genius takes more than just our distinctive distillation process. We’ve created the perfect match with our Copper Berry Chamber and combination of traditional and handpicked botanicals, allowing us to produce the most delightful gin around.

Picture this; you’re exploring the rugged Scottish Highlands. Wind in your hair, sun on your arms, backpack at the ready, and shopping list in hand for a list of ingredients to make the perfect gin. Where would you start? If you’re not sure, don’t worry (we’re betting you don’t have your own 1920s distillation chamber at home either). Let us do the hard work for you.

Handpicked Scottish Botanicals

Caorunn Gin a Cut Above The Rest

Rowan Berry; sacred in Celtic legends, this unassuming piquant berry has been lauded for use in medicines and recipes for generations. Our name comes from the Gaelic phrase for Rowan Berry. It’s the very soul of Caorunn Gin and a key part of our recipe.
Heather; this fragrant purple plant is an integral part of the Scottish Highland landscape and Caorunn Gin. It infuses a soft, sweetly resinous aroma and creates perfumed undertones and the nuance of honey.
Coul Blush Apple; you could argue we have a big thing for apples (and you’d be right), but the most northerly grown apples in the UK are something special. Grown in Ross-Shire since 1827, their sweet aromatic taste perfectly complements our other botanicals.
Dandelion; used as a herb throughout history, this botanical is sometimes misaligned as a weed by some naysayers, but not us. We know it adds a unique aromatic freshness to Caorunn Gin.
Bog Myrtle; while you might not be able to pick this fragrant plant out in a lineup, we promise you it adds a softly sweet aroma to our gin that you won’t forget.

Caorunn Gin a Mystery Cut Above The Rest

Caorunn Gin a Mystery Cut Above The Rest / The Rest The Botanical Garden.

Now you’ve met our five main players, let’s continue our all-star line-up below. While the handpicked Celtic botanicals above are foraged from around our Scottish Highland home, the rest are traditional gin botanicals that have earned their place in our recipe.

Juniper; the gin OG. Lending their bittersweet aroma to gin since the 17th Century, the Juniper berries are at the heart of our Scottish Gin.
Lemon Peel; with fragrant citrus top notes, and an aromatic bitter taste, this fruit imparts an essential flavour to Caorunn Gin.
Coriander Seed; one whiff of the spicy, sweet aroma of these seeds and you’d picture exotic dishes full of heat. The perfect complement to our chosen Celtic botanicals, it adds a subtle flavour of pine and pepper.
Cassia Bark; reminiscent of cinnamon but with more depth of character and delicate flavour, this exotic spice lends its fragrant aroma and sweetish taste to Caorunn Gin.
Orange Peel; with its deliciously sweet odour cut with a slight hint of bitterness, the orange peel helps add to the crisp, refreshing flavour of Caorunn Gin.
Angelica Root; fabled for centuries as a healing herb, this enigmatic root provides a sweet warm taste to complement the other Caorunn gin botanicals.

Caorunn Gin a Mystery Cut Above The Rest

Ready to forage for more?

So you’ve studied our botanicals recipe, and you’re ready for the next stage of Gin Genius discovery. Read how our unique process works.

Our Process

Caorunn Gin Tour

Distillery Tours

Caorunn Gin a Cut Above The Rest

If you ever needed another excuse to visit the beautiful Speyside region of the Scottish Highlands, this is it.

Not only is our home Balmenach Distillery set in a spectacular backdrop, but our guided tour takes you on a journey to learn firsthand how our Copper Berry Chamber distillation process sets us apart from the rest.

Caorunn Gin a Mystery Cut Above The Rest / The stills

Based in the heart of Speyside

Our local Gin Geniuses will take you through what goes into making Caorunn, and not only that, but you’ll be able to appreciate the stunning surroundings where our Celtic botanicals are hand-foraged by the team. We know – we’re spoiling you now. Experience the unique opportunity to enjoy a tutored deconstructed nosing and tasting session. These sessions feature Caorunn’s five locally foraged and six traditional botanicals, botanical essences, and a neat sample of Caorunn. Taking all of this in is thirsty work, and so the tour experience is rounded off with a refreshing Caorunn perfect serve.

Caorunn Gin a Mystery Cut Above The Rest / The Tour

Hand-crafted in a malt whisky distillery, there’s a lot about Caorunn Gin that’s ingenious. Five of our eleven botanicals are hand-foraged locally, and they’re all distilled slowly in the world’s only working Copper Berry Chamber. This clever contraption infuses the flavours as evenly as possible, and the result is a mouthwateringly refreshing gin.

Not only that, but we only ever distil in small batches, to make sure every last drop tastes as delicious as the first.

If you think all of this sounds good, then you should taste it. Explore our range and find your perfect Gin Genius partner.

Our Gins

Caorunn Gin

£30.00

So you already know “it’s the one served with apple” but there’s so much more to our classic gin. Find out what goes into our recipe to create the full-bodied and invigorating flavour we’re known for.

We’d like to describe our classic Caorunn Gin, but we’re not sure where to start. We could tell you it has a slightly spicy, full-bodied and invigorating flavour, with a clean and crisp finish. Or maybe it’s best explained as a modern London Dry gin infused with classic Celtic soul (in the form of our 5 locally foraged botanicals)? The best way to showcase it is to enjoy it at its award-winning best – pair it with a slice of red apple, and serve with chilled tonic water over ice.

Tasting Notes

Invigorating, clean and crisp, aromatic with a long dry finish

Aroma

Fresh, floral, citrus, slightly spicy and aromatic.

Flavour

Clean, crisp, sweet, full bodied and aromatic.

Finish

Invigorating, long lasting, refreshing, crisp and slightly drying.

Perfect Serve

1 part Caorunn Gin
2 parts chilled tonic water
Garnish with red apple slices (Pink Lady if you’ve got them but any red apple works).
Serve over ice, and enjoy

Caorunn Classic 70cl Bottle Bottle With Serve

Caorunn Gin a Mystery Cut Above The Rest

Awards

International Spirits Challenge 2022

Silver

Ultimate Spirits Challenge

Excellent Highly Recommended

New York Intl Spirits Competition

Gold

San Francisco World Spirits Comp

Silver

Gin Master’s Cut

Our Gin Masters, kicked things up a notch when he chose this 48% higher strength gin. Exclusively available to travel retail customers, our Gin Master’s Cut embodies the essential characteristics of our classic gin, but with a laidback spicy, juniper aroma from the Celtic botanicals and apple coming through strongly. Expect notes of raisins and dried fruit and a long, lingering finish. We recommend serving with green apples to bring out the mouth-tingling fullness.

£45

Quantity

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