Tigh na Uruisg, Upper Kilchattan, Isle of Colonsay PA61 7YR, UK
Colonsay Gin Fine Smooth and slightly Sweaty
Colonsay Gin Fine Smooth and slightly Sweaty
THE TEAM
In August 2016, husband and wife team, Finlay and Eileen Geekie, packed up all their worldly possessions, left behind the hustle and bustle of Oxfordshire, where they’d lived for over 30 years, and moved to their newly completed, self-build house, to start a new life on the tiny, remote Hebridean island of Colonsay. Their new business provides them with the opportunity to combine their love of all things gin with their desire to create a viable future, living and working on this wild island, and, at the same time, make a significant contribution to the future sustainability and ongoing development of the local island economy and community as a whole.
Colonsay Gin Fine Smooth and slightly Sweaty / The owners
PEOPLE
FIN
Fin studied Architecture at Dundee University, before working in private practice in Oxfordshire. A move into the house building sector saw him concentrate on business management before gaining an MBA from Oxford Brookes University.
After several years ‘climbing the corporate ladder’, he achieved his goal of being the Regional Director of a major house building business. Using all the experience gained during this time, in 2004 he established his own property development company. Fin has now moved to Colonsay to live and work and build Wild Thyme Spirits.
Colonsay Gin Fine Smooth and slightly Sweaty
EILEEN
Eileen studied Commerce at Abertay University in Dundee, before going on to complete a postgraduate teacher training Certificate in Secondary Education, Moray House, in Edinburgh. Her early career saw her teaching Business Studies at schools in Dundee and Oxford before moving into the business world with Blackwell Bookstores in Oxford.
After a career break to become a mum to two boys, Eileen specialized in the field of Human Resources, returning to Blackwells, before furthering her specialization at Oxfam, and Oxford University. Her final placement was at the Oxford Primary Health Care Trust.
THE HELPERS – MYTHICAL
Colonsay Gin Fine Smooth and slightly Sweaty
In Celtic folklore, every house had a Brownie or Spirit, or in Gaelic, an Uruisg {oor-isk} to help with household chores. They were traditionally male, small in stature, illusive, and worked only at night. They became attached to particular families and estates, with whom they stayed for centuries. There are two at Wild Thyme Spirits; twins, Doughal & Ferghus
They help ALVA, a delightful, red-haired maiden, a very special Brownie with supernatural powers, a Gruagach {groo-ah-gak}. Long, long ago she somehow survived when her Viking long boat crashed on the wild island’s unforgiving rocks.
She stumbled ashore and took shelter at Tigh Na Uruisg {tee-na-oor-isk}, or Home of the Spirit, where she remains to this day. She uses all her powers to protect her secret recipes from those desperate to know. With an alchemist’s touch, she transforms humble botanicals into gin.
THE HELPERS – REAL
We have a great team of consultants helping us out, and we couldn’t have done any of this without their skill, advice, patience and hard work. A huge thank you to:
Caroline Vos, Illustrator
From sunny Cape Town, South Africa, Caroline Vos somehow managed to capture an amazing likeness of our illusive Brownies, the twins, Ferghus & Doughal, which can be seen on the Wild Thyme Spirits logo. She also brought the beautiful ALVA to life in her illustration for our Colonsay Gin label.
Pocket Rocket Creative
Gary and the team at the award-winning Marketing Consultancy PRC have an amazing track record in the drinks industry of producing fantastic branding and we are delighted with what they produced for Wild Thyme Spirits Ltd and Colonsay Gin.
Tony Reeman-Clark
We reserve special thanks to Tony Reeman-Clark and his team at Strathearn. Tony is a spirits guru, innovator and general all round good guy, and his advice and wise words about all things gin have been, and continue to be, invaluable.
Colonsay Gin – 70cl
Regular price £45.00
Colonsay Gin Fine Smooth and slightly Sweaty
Description
A small batch, hand-made, premium Scottish Gin, in the style of a classic London Dry Gin, slightly stronger at 47% ABV to accentuate the full flavour of the botanicals that we use which consistently produce a fantastic, juniper led, premium quality gin. Currently available in 5, 10, 50 & 70cl bottles.
Colonsay Gin – 70cl takes its inspiration from a mixture of Celtic folklore and the natural Hebridean beauty of the island. Our Gin is hand-made in small batches to a recipe that is closely guarded by our special helper, ALVA, a delightful, red-haired maiden, who lives at the home of Wild Thyme Spirits – Tigh na Uruisg – which means Home of the Spirit. Colonsay Gin is all about a sense of place and the heartfelt passion of those who make it.
Colonsay Gin – Cait Sith 70cl
Colonsay Gin Fine Smooth and slightly Sweaty
Description
Colonsay Gin – Cait Sith is Wild Thyme Spirits’ version of an Old Tom style gin based on its multi-award winning Colonsay Gin.
“Old Tom is dead, then I must be queen”, said the Cait Sith {Caught Shee}.
From the deep, dark recesses of Celtic Mythology came the Cait Sith. A legendary spectral cat that roamed the Scottish Highlands & Islands, mysteriously bringing with it, either a blessing, or a curse, depending on whether householders left it a suitable libation or not. Not a cat as we know it, but rather a fairy-like creature that took the form of a cat.
To the Ancient Celts, cats were a message to step back and look within. A symbol of resourcefulness, flexibility, aloofness, unpredictability and, of course, great mystery.
Old Tom plays an important role in the history of gin, sitting as it does, between Dutch Genever and London Dry, it’s drier than the former but sweeter than the latter. Created to satisfy the huge demand for gin in the 18th & 19th centuries, distillers sweetened their juniper-laced sprits with liquorice or sugar, and in so doing, created a whole new category of gin.
Colonsay Gin – Tonn Mor
Colonsay Gin Fine Smooth and slightly Sweaty
50cl Colonsay – Bramble Gin Liqueur
Colonsay Gin Fine Smooth and slightly Sweaty
THE HOUSE
We bought the original house – Tigh na Uruisg – back in 2007, but it wasn’t until 2012 that building works started in earnest and a new, larger house rose from the foundations of the old. Even with Finlay’s architectural and property development background, the harsh realities of such an ambitious building project in such an unforgiving and remote environment meant it took much longer than planned. The house was finished in 2016.
NATURAL HEBRIDEAN BEAUTY
Tucked away between the better known islands of Islay and Mull, and nestling close to neighbouring Jura, is just under a two-and-a-half-hour ferry journey from Oban on the West Coast of Scotland.
The tiny island is quietly renowned for its tranquillity, exquisite sandy beaches, rear flora and fauna and abundance of wildlife. It is a treasured destination for those holiday cognoscente. With an abundance of varied habitats, Colonsay has an enormous range of bird life making it a firm favourite with naturalists and environmentalists.
The dramatic cliffs of the western coast are home to enormous colonies of seabird, and the beaches and rocky inlets support colonies of ringed plover, terns, oystercatchers and eiders amongst others.
The central part of the island, especially the Kiloran valley, with over 500 species of flora and fauna has possibly the greatest variety of flora in the Hebrides. The woodland garden at Colonsay House is also considered to be one of the finest rhododendron gardens in Scotland.
THE TRANSPORT
CalMac Ferries Ltd
Colonsay is served by a CalMac Ferries Ltd. ferry service from the port of Oban seven times a week in summer, three times a week in winter. The journey takes two and a quarter hours, passing between the mainland and the islands of Kererra and Mull and then sailing south and west past the islands of Seil, Luing, Scarba and Jura.
Hebridean Air Services
A scheduled air service operates twice daily, Tuesdays and Thursdays, from Connel (by Oban) including a link via Islay. This service is operated by Hebridean Air Services.
Costal Connection
They make the islands and lochs of the west coast of Scotland more accessible than ever before. Their services range from commercial exercises to scenic tours of the Western Isles as well as private charters.
THE WILDLIFE
With an abundance of varied habitats, Colonsay has an enormous range of bird life making it a firm favourite with naturalists and environmentalists. The Corncrake, one of Britain’s rarest birds, is probably the islands most famous avian resident and is part of the reason for the RSPB’s permanent presence, but the list of resident and visiting birds include many more rarities.
The dramatic cliffs of the western coast are home to enormous colonies of seabirds, notably fulmars, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes, shags and all types of gull. The beaches and rocky inlets support colonies of ringed plover, terns, oystercatchers and eiders amongst others.
FLORA & FAUNA
The central part of the island, especially the Kiloran valley, with over 500 species including Sea Samphire and Marsh Helleborine and the very rare Orchis, Spiranthes Romanzoffiana, has, possibly, the greatest variety of flora in the Hebrides.
The woodland garden at Colonsay House is also considered to be one of the finest rhododendron gardens in Scotland. Such botanical resources provide a rich and inspirational larder for any gin maker.
Gin Lovers Retreat
ON ARRIVAL
On arrival at Colonsay, you’ll be ready to immerse yourself in the remoteHebridean beauty of our island; untouched beaches, stunning scenery, rare wildlife, rocky shorelines and rugged cliffs. Intimate and unspoilt – nature at its finest.
Colonsay Gin Fine Smooth and slightly Sweaty
Then of course, there’s the gin. We have a collection of over 200 gins from around the world for you to choose from and, over the course of the weekend, we aim to help you try something new, revisit an old favourite or maybe even find a new one.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
• Full board for 4 people from Friday to Sunday.
• Breakfast and a buffet or picnic-style lunch on Saturday & Sunday, and dinner on Friday and Saturday. An early evening supper will be served on Sunday night prior to ferry departure.
• One gin cocktail pre-dinner drink per person on Friday night
• A pre-dinner, five gin tasting per person on Saturday night
• A distillery tour on Saturday or Sunday to suit guests timing
• We are fully licensed and have a well stocked and varied bar. A corkage fee will be charged for any alcohol consumed on the premises and not purchased from the bar.
• Ferry costs not included.
THE ACCOMMODATION
We have two double rooms each with its own shower room. We are able to cater for four singles, but please contact us for details. There is a guest sitting room and dining room where there are facilities for tea and coffee, as well as music, TV, reading, jigsaws and board games.
To ensure we can offer our guests the freshest ingredients and to avoid any allergy issues, we ask them to select a set dinner menu, one for Friday and one for Saturday. We have a selection of house wine for guests to choose from.
SUGGESTED ITINERARY
In between sleeping, eating and gin tasting, there are a multitude of things to do, in both good weather and bad, far too many to do in one visit, so we have a suggested itinerary, but it’s very flexible, and we’ll do our best to accommodate our guests suggestions and preferences.
FRIDAY
19:00 – Arrive, settle in, freshen up, ready for pre-dinner cocktails.
20:30 – Dinner served
22:00 – Gin collection available for selection
SATURDAY
09:00 – Breakfast served
10:30 – Island walk taking picnic lunch
16:00 – Afternoon tea served
17:00 – Distillery tour and Gin tasting
20:00 – Dinner served
21:30 – Gin collection available for selection
SUNDAY
10:00 – Breakfast served
11:30 – Island walk taking picnic lunch
17:00 – Early evening supper served
18:15 – Depart for ferry
19:00 – Ferry Departs
Colonsay Gin Fine Smooth and slightly Sweaty
GIN DISTILLERY TOUR
The distillery tour lasts approximately an hour and is a true journey of discovery.
Meet ‘Jinty’ our beautiful copper gin still and hear first-hand about the process used to distil our multi-award winning Colonsay Gin. You will be shown how we distil, bottle, label and finish our bottles as well as learning lots of fascinating facts about the gin making process.
Colonsay Gin Fine Smooth and slightly Sweaty
Finishing, of course, with a gin tasting experience sampling all our products, all of which are available to purchase during your visit. The tours run between 12:00 – 16:00 Mon-Sat and by prior appointment and cost £14/person.
You can find the distillery in Upper Kilchattan, close to the primary school, overlooking Loch Fada and approximately 4 miles from the pier at Scalasaig.
Colonsay Gin Fine Smooth and slightly Sweaty
Colonsay Gin Fine Smooth and slightly Sweaty
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