Isle of Bute craftsman of Fine Creative work

HOME OF THE WORLD’S FIRST OYSTER GIN

Welcome to Isle of Bute Distillery, where craftsmanship meets creativity in the heart of Rothesay. This quaint Scottish island is the driving force behind our small batch spirits. Our products are crafted with care using a traditional copper still and we source botanicals from across the island landscape to create premium spirits that embody life on the Scottish isles.

Isle of Bute craftsman of Fine Creative work

Isle of Bute Distillery makes premium spirits that showcase the island and everything it has to offer. Behind every business there is a story and the people that live it, take a moment to find out more here.

Dreaming of a seaside holiday? We’ve got the next best thing: an exquisite bottle of craft gin from the Isle of Bute off the west coast of Scotland. Subtle and sophisticated, it’s the world’s first ever oyster gin, made using premium Scottish oyster shells as a botanical. Craft Gin Club’s panel of experts selected Isle of Bute Oyster Gin to be June’s Discovery Gin.

What exactly is a Discovery Gin? In addition to the Gin of the Month boxes Craft Gin Club sends its members, a committee of experts chooses a gin to satisfy gin drinkers with a taste for adventure. This June, Isle of Bute Oyster Gin will be featured on the Craft Gin Club online shop to give gin fans across the UK a taste of this delicious maritime spirit.

Tasting Notes

Subtle, sophisticated and savoury, this gin blends the delicate maritime essence of Scottish oyster shells with citrus. Deeply refreshing on the nose with an ultra-smooth mouthfeel on palate, on the finish it leaves a soft impression of brine.

Key Botanicals

Juniper, Coriander, Angelica, Lemon, Lime, Loch Fyne Oyster Shells, Nori Seaweed

43% ABV

OUR STORY

SHARING THE FLAVOURS OF ISLAND LIFE

In 2018 Rhona Madigan-Wheatley returned to Scotland and decided to start a gin distillery in Rothesay.

Taking this idea and turning it into reality is a result of the dedication and passion of a small team of people. Some of us live on Bute, some of us spent our holidays here growing up, some of us moved here for work and decided to stay – some of us may even have dragged our retiring parents across the water.

What brings us all together? We are committed to the craft process and our spirits are inspired by the wonderful scenery and wild places that can be found the length and breadth of the Isle of Bute.

Equipped with little more than a 200L copper still and two recipes in mind, we got to work producing small batch craft gin using locally sourced botanicals. The distillery opened to the public in July 2020 – a tricky time you may recall – and the rest, as they say, is history.

We’re always searching for new ideas and creative recipes to share with our customers and supporters, so make a trip to Bute and come see for yourself.

Welcome to Bute Yard, your one-stop shop for local food and drink in Rothesay.

From day one our distillery has been a major supporter of the Bute Yard project, working with Johnny Bute and his team to establish the go-to hospitality destination on the Isle of Bute and we were delighted to open the venue during Summer 2023.

Farmers markets, craft fairs, ceilidh dances, weddings, you name it. Bute Yard is an all-purpose events space and now the spiritual home of Isle of Bute Distillery and Bute Brew Co.

We love nothing more than showing people around the place. In summer, enjoy the wide expanse of the courtyard beer garden. Freezing cold in winter? No chance. Grab a long table indoors to soak up the cosy ambience and warmth (kudos to underfloor heating) of Bute Yard.

THE GIN

Every bottle of Isle of Bute Gin is made in Rothesay using our traditional 200 litre Portuguese copper still named Audrey. Audrey has been with us since 2018 and while she doesn’t say much, she is very dear to us all.

The botanicals used in each batch of gin are macerated in the still with grain spirit and water from Loch Ascog, located less than a mile down the road.

The still is gas fired, which gives greater depth of flavour and added complexity when distilling. From start to finish the process of distilling takes almost exactly eight hours. The spirit is then allowed to rest before it is packaged into our signature bottles, a process completed entirely by hand by our dedicated team at the distillery.

We create each gin around a signature botanical harvested from Bute and its surrounding waters, blended with classic herbs and spices. Above all else, we like making gin from interesting things. Juniper, angelica, coriander?

Yes sure, but there is no better example of our ethos than our flagship Oyster Gin – the first of its kind in the world. We use Loch Fyne oyster shells and treat the shells like we do any other botanical: soaking them in the spirit and distilling them to create delicate, seaside aromas and savoury flavours.

65 High St, Rothesay, Isle of Bute PA20 9AU, UK