Glasgow West Central Scotland.
The city of Glasgow is located on the banks of the River Clyde, in West Central Scotland. Renowned for its striking architecture, contemporary art spaces, fascinating museums, and home to some of the UK’s best music venues, it’s one of the most exciting cities you’ll ever come across.
GLASGOW, City of music UNESCO CREATIVE CITY
The OVO Hydro was designed by internationally-renowned architect Sir Norman Foster; its amphitheatre-style arena is perfect for any events programme.
The OVO Hydro seats 12,000 people and is the largest entertainments venue in Scotland! This great venue is the only one of its scale in the UK built specifically for concerts, and special events.
It doesn’t take long to realise that music is the beating heart of this city. Get ready for a warm welcome from half a million residents who have access to over 100 music events every week. You’ll soon discover that music can do much more than simply put a smile on your face.
Glasgow is a vibrant city with a legendary music scene across a variety of venues, that stretches across the whole spectrum from contemporary to classical, and Celtic to country. It’s famed for the enthusiasm and energy of its audiences, which is no surprise when you hear it’s regularly voted one of the friendliest cities in the world.
Glasgow Gin.
Wester Distillery, 8 Meadow Road, Partick, Glasgow, G11 6HX
Glasgow Gin. Oor wee story.
Because Glasgow has always been close to our hearts, we wanted to create a gin that celebrated both the unique city and our family ties to its famous streets. Something fun, something playful, something Glasgow.
To capture such a distinctive character, we knew it had to be bold and cheeky but also have a soft and sweet side. The result is a gin unlike any other we’ve ever made – fun, fresh and fruity, yet with a surprisingly soft sweetness and sherbety finish.
Such a distinctive gin needed equally distinctive branding – and what better than Glasgow’s iconic and instantly recognisable Duke of Wellington statue?
The image of the Duke, his steed and the jauntily balanced cone has become known the world over; a byword for a city alive with irreverence, humour and playfulness – just like the gin that now bears its name.
Our Gin is distilled to our own special recipe in Glasgow. It’s a proud tribute to the people who inspired it, with every delicious drop capturing the true spirit of the city.
The man beneath the cone
For more than 140 years, the statue of the Duke of Wellington and his faithful steed Copenhagen was just another Glasgow monument.
But after staring out from Royal Exchange Square undisturbed since 1844, a traffic cone suddenly and mysteriously started appearing on his noble napper in the mid-1980s.
As fast as it was removed, the orange ornament was returned – and it soon became a battle of wits between the pranksters and the powers-that-be.
Duke’s a hazard
Since its first appearance, various jobsworths have tried to stop the ducal decor in the name of health and safety, but in Glasgow, you may as well try to stop the rain from falling.
Plans to raise his plinth or install CCTV to deter the Duke’s comical coronation were loudly opposed, with a ‘keep the cone’ campaign launched to preserve his hallowed headwear.
Unlike Wellington, the council eventually admitted defeat and the cone has been a permanent fixture ever since, proving that Glasgow spirit will always prevail.
Makar Gin.
The Glasgow Distillery Co. 8 Deanside Rd, Glasgow G52 4XB, Verenigd Koninkrijk
Makar is a juniper-led, handcrafted small-batch Scottish gin of the highest quality. Our name derives from the ancient Scots word for a ‘poet’ — a maker of verse; which embodies the craft and attention that our team of distillers devote to each and every bottle.
Our gin is distilled seven times in our copper pot still ‘Annie’ — named after one of our founder’s great grandmother who first sparked our passion for innovation and quality. Seven is also the number of carefully selected botanicals that support the finest juniper berries that lie at the heart of our gin.
MAKAR ORIGINAL DRY GIN
Named after the old Scots’ word for a poet or a bard, Makar Gin is a bold and confidently juniper-forward gin made for gin lovers, by gin lovers.
Makar Original Dry is distilled slowly and with care in our copper pot still, Annie, combining seven carefully selected supporting botanicals with juniper, which lies at our spirit’s heart. These botanicals are reflected by the bespoke seven-sided Makar Gin bottle and are illustrated around the bottle’s neck label.
As the first gin to come from Glasgow, Makar Gin is not afraid to lead the way and as a result, has won a number of international awards since its launch in 2014. Try Makar at the heart of a G&T garnished with a fine slice of mild green chilli pepper, or mix a Makar martini cocktail, find our recipe here.
MAKAR OLD TOM GIN
Old Tom Gin is a traditional style that dates back to the 18th Century. Illicit producers would distil a sweet style of gin in the basements of public houses, and then advertise the availability of their wares by hanging a sign of a black cat (or ‘Old Tom’) outside. Underneath the sign, one would insert money and a metal tube and in return get a mouthful of the cheap tax-free produce.
Today, we pay homage to Old Tom Gin by distilling ours with a selection of sweeter botanicals than used in our Makar Original Dry expression. Fresh oranges, almonds and anise are used, alongside plenty of juniper (this is still a signature Makar Gin after all) and a number of other supporting botanicals. Post distillation, we blend in a small amount of honey to give this spirit a luxurious mouthfeel and subtly sweet finish.
MAKAR MULBERRY AGED GIN
Makar Mulberry Aged Gin takes our Makar Original Dry expression and matures it for a short period of time in small, handmade fifty-litre fresh casks made from the mulberry tree. The intense maturation period imbibes this spirit with a lovely light straw colour, a smooth and subtly sweet taste and a lemony citrus finish.
Makar Mulberry is an original and exciting gin that has twice been named Scotland’s Best Cask Aged Gin.
We like to sip Makar Mulberry neat or with a cube of ice, however, it is also excellent when paired with ginger ale over ice, rather than conventional tonic water. Alternatively, try mixing the refreshing Makar Elderflower Gin Fizz, our recipe for which can be found here.
MAKAR OAK AGED GIN
Makar Oak Aged Gin takes our Makar Original Dry expression and matures it for a short period of time in small, handmade fifty-litre virgin European oak casks. The intense maturation period imbibes this spirit with a wonderful golden colour, a vibrant oaky taste and a spicy finish.
Named ‘Scotland’s Best Matured Gin’ and awarded a Gold medal at the San Francisco Spirits Awards, this is an original and exciting gin that is not to be missed by gin enthusiasts.
Makar Oak Aged Gin is best paired with ginger ale, over ice, rather than a conventional tonic water mixer, but we equally enjoy Makar Oak mixed as part of the classic Negroni cocktail, find our recipe for the Makar Oaked Negroni here.
Glaswe Gin.
Caledonia House, 5 Inchinnan Drive, Glasgow, Scotland, PA4
Distilled in an artisan still in the heart of Glasgow, our small batch gin features a unique blend of eight gin botanicals, resulting in an award-winningly smooth spirit. Crowned Scotland’s Best London Dry Gin in the World Gin Awards 2021, Glaswegin is a Scottish gin inspired by the no-nonsense style of the city of Glasgow and its people. Best served with a fuss-free tonic and a classic gin garnish, we are renowned for our spirit’s smoothness and innovative bottle design.
Behind the bottle.
From the artisan still in the heart of Glasgow to the story behind our minimalistic bottle design, inspired by the city and people around us, find out what makes Glaswegin a gin for Glasgow.
We had our name and, while we were working on our recipe, the next question was “what is it going to look like?”. We knew it had to stand out and make Glasgow proud, so we approached award-winning designer and Glasgow School of Art graduate, Paul Gray, to discuss the project.
Paul is known for producing exceptional work that not only delights clients and attracts awards – he’s also invited to exhibit at the Design Museum London, the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA) and the V&A in London. Could we dare to dream of a Glaswegin exhibition in the future?
Glas We Gin Awards.
IWSC 91 Pts Silver
The IWSC is the world’s largest and most influential spirits awards, and we were delighted to pick up a Silver Award for Glaswegin Original London Dry Gin.
World Gin Awards Best Scottish London Dry
A truly incredible accolade. Scotland produces incredible gin, and we were up against fantastic brands, so to be named the best in Scotland really blew us away. The World Gin Awards select the very best gins in the internationally recognised gin styles and promote the world’s best gins to consumers and trade across the globe.
Great Taste 2021
Great Taste is the world’s largest and most trusted food and drink awards. Glaswegin was awarded a Great Taste 2021 award for our Original London Dry Gin.
D&AD
We took home a Graphite Pencil for Luxury Packaging in the 2019 D&AD Awards, the highest accolade awarded in our category.
The Drum Design Awards 2019
Packaging Design
We were beyond delighted to pick up the award for Packaging Design, which saw us face big names including Carlsberg, Johnnie Walker and Heineken.
Chairman & Head Judge’s Award
The Chairman and Head Judge’s Award is one of the most prestigious awards given on the night, and we were honoured to receive it. Selected by the chair of the judging panel, John Mathers, director of design at the British Design Fund, Glaswegin was named as his personal best in show.
The Gin Masters
The Spirits Business Master 2020
The world’s most highly regarded series of spirits blind-tasting competitions. Our team was honoured to receive the Master title, the highest award within the category. The judges found Glaswegin to be full of “fruity berries” on the nose, with “some earthiness and some citrus” on the palate.
International Spirits Challenge 2020 Silver
The International Spirits Challenge is the most authoritative, respected, and influential spirits competition in the world. The competition is founded on a rigorous and independent judging process, which serves to encourage the high calibre of spirits, designs and campaigns entered the competition each year. Glaswegin received a Silver Award in 2020.
London Spirits Competition 2020 Bronze
Glaswegin was awarded a Bronze medal at the highly regarded London Spirits Competition. The scoring criteria looks at quality, value, and packaging, and we take massive pride in all of these areas. We are thrilled to have gained such a fantastic accolade.
Scottish Design Awards
We’re thrilled to have picked up the award for Best Packaging at the Scottish Design Awards. Open to all architects, engineers, graphic, interior, and digital designers the Scottish Design Awards celebrate class-leading work, best practice, sustainability and innovation in all its forms.
The Spirits Design Masters
Standing out on shelves is vital for brands to appeal to consumers, so getting design and packaging spot on is crucial. A Gold award in The Spirits Design Masters 2020 gin category was an incredible win for Glaswegin.
Scottish Gin Awards 2019 – Bronze Award
Winner of Bronze Award for London Dry Gin of the Year at the Scottish Gin Awards 2019. To say this was a tough category is an understatement. There were over 60 entries and a whopping 45 finalists, so to come 3rd out of all those amazing gins is a total dream come true.
Crossbill gin distillery.
Crossbill Distilling Ltd Unit 1, BAaD, 54 Calton Entry, Glasgow G40 2SB, Verenigd Koninkrijk
Crossbill Distilling is an established distiller with experience dating back to 2006. Gin production began in 2012 in Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands. In 2017 we relocated to the legendary Barras in Glasgow’s East End, where we distil our range of award-winning, Handcrafted Scottish Gins.
Our Gins are a celebration of Scottish nature, made with wild, fresh botanicals, harvested by hand then slowly macerated in Glasgow before being distilled. Each bottle is a testament to our passion for creating an exceptional gin and showcasing the beauty of Scotland’s natural resources.
Crossbill 200 Single Specimen Dry Gin 2022.
A rare, special edition dry gin. Using wild Highland juniper hand-picked from a single specimen bush that is c. 200 years old. Slowly macerated with fresh rosehips then distilled in soft Scottish water. Piney and peppery, with a hint of silky sweetness. Bottled at still strength to deliver an intense concentrated dry gin.
A rare, special edition dry gin. Produced using the juniper of a single specimen bush, aged around 200 years old, which grows wild in the remote rugged moorland of the Scottish Highlands.
Once a year, juniper from this ancient bush is gathered by hand along with wild rosehip that grows nearby, taken to Glasgow where it is then slowly macerated and distilled in a copper pot Bain Marie still.
The result is an intense concentrated dry gin that captures an unequalled level of freshness. A tribute to a rare and magnificent native Highland conifer.
Tasting Notes
An ultra-premium gin, distilled from a single specimen juniper bush, bottled at still strength, therefore, holding more of the essential oils from the botanicals, changing the dynamic of the gin. We suggest you serve over ice with a good quality tonic and a flamed orange twist.
Declared Style
Produced using only fruit from this ancient Juniper bush and the wild Rosehip that grows around it. Bottled at 59.8% Still Strength, the Crossbill 200 Special Edition bursts with fresh pine and juniper taste. It is the perfect expression of a rare and magnificent highland plant captured and condensed.
Crossbill Green Dry Gin
Crossbill’s new small-batch session gin created in collaboration with the Gin To My Tonic Gin Club. Made from three different parts of the Scottish Juniper plant: blue juniper berries, green juniper berries & juniper needles, Crossbill Green is full of fresh notes, bittersweet berries, and a lasting citrus tang.
At Crossbill, every gin we make utilises only Scottish botanicals, and the Highland Juniper edition is no different. It uses three different parts of the Scottish Juniper plant: blue juniper berries, green juniper berries & juniper needles, designed to celebrate all the amazing flavours this one plant can give us. The juniper was handpicked from the Cairngorms National Park by our team, macerated for six days and then distilled in our 150-litre Bain Marie still in the heart of Glasgow’s Barras.
TASTING NOTES
Upon sipping, you are immediately hit with a punch of fresh, bittersweet berry, which quickly gives way to a lasting citrus tang, before ending on a rich, gently peppery & dry finish.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
We recommend serving with Fever Tree light tonic, and if you’re feeling adventurous, a wee sprig of rosemary or basil.
Table of Contents
