Glenshee Road, A93, Bridge of Cally PH10 7LQ, United Kingdom
Persie Distillery Gin Popular Dog Frenzy
“I didn’t plan on becoming a preachy craft gin geek. Yet here I am.”
The husband-and-wife team behind Persie Distillery is Simon and Chrissie Fairclough. In 2013 they launched Gin Club Scotland – the world’s first touring gin club – with the sole purpose of hearing the voice of the customer. The game-plan? To use these insights to make a gin that hit the spot.
Persie Distillery Gin Popular Dog Frenzy
And that’s what they did. After one year, they harvested feedback from 3,000 gin tasters and found three styles of gin were consistently most popular: fruity, savoury and sweet.
So recipe development started in earnest, and – in May 2016 – Persie’s Distillery Originals range was born: Zesty Citrus Gin; Herby & Aromatic Gin; and Sweet & Nutty Old Tom Gin.
These award-winning gins are hand-crafted in small batches on the site of the former Persie Hotel at the foot of Glenshee in Highland Perthshire. Dubbed Phil the Still, the 230 litre copper pot still is a thing of beauty, and the first in Scotland from Müller in Germany.
In August the same year the distillery opened to the public and now opens its doors for drop-ins and liquid tours throughout the year.
Just two years later, in 2018, Persie Distillery joined forces with PADS (Perthshire Abandoned Dogs Society) as its dedicated charity partner. As a keen dog-friendly business, the team’s mission was to release a family of ‘dog gins’ – with different styles of gin reflecting different breeds! For every bottle sold, £1 is donated to PADS to help provide care and shelter for the country’s unwanted dogs.
Carefully created to reflect the breed, Labrador Gin is traditional, soft in the mouth and warming – classically juniper-forward with a seasoned coriander and cardamom finish. Spaniel Gin reflects the breed by being lively on the palate: spicy and spirited yet very gentle, the gin is made using mace and cinnamon to give it great warmth and intensity.
Dachshund is a liqueur made using freshly pressed limes with fruit left over from the distillery’s award-winning Zesty Citrus Gin. Like the breed, Dachshund Gin Liqueur is the perfect balance of sweet and sharp; bursting with zest, it has a long body and is best served short.
The Distillery vodka is called Pusscat! A premium spirit with a silky smooth finish which immediately scored a win at the World Vodka Awards when it was released – one of only four vodkas awarded a medal in the UK in 2022.
As with the charity dog gins, the team remains committed to raising money for pet welfare with £1 per bottle sold going to Edinburgh Dog & Cat Home. One of the largest animal welfare facilities in Scotland, these funds help them in their vital work rescuing and rehoming lost, stray and abandoned cats.
And finally, let’s not forget our two popular liqueurs, both made with botanicals hand-picked by the distillery team: Sloe & Plum Gin and Raspberry & Mint Gin.
Since starting production in February 2016, Persie Distillery has been voted Most Promising New Business by Perthshire Chamber of Commerce, awarded Best Marketing Campaign by the Scottish Gin
Awards and given the honour of Best Craft Spirits Distillery in the UK by the Agriculture & Farming Awards. We have twice been voted Best Brand in recognition of our support of animal rescue charities. The first was in 2022 by the Indie Spirits Business, and the second was in 2023 at the Scottish Gin Awards.
The gin range has also scooped a series of taste awards with Gold and Silver medals from the Scottish Gin Awards, the Scottish Field Gin Challenge, The Gin Cooperative Awards and the International Wine & Spirits Competition, among others. We are particularly proud that Labrador Gin was voted Best Gin in Scotland in 2020 and Zesty Citrus Gin won Best Distilled Gin in Scotland in 2023.
Meet the Team
Simon Fairclough
Managing Director
(Dabbles in a bit of everything.)
Chrissie Fairclough
Tastings Director
(Sharp cookie at events and marketing.)
Persie Distillery Gin Popular Dog Frenzy
Liz Myers
Personal Assistant
(Sorts out Simon. And the money. And the rest of us!)
Karen (sometimes Sam) Anderson
Sales Ambassador
(She knows what you need before you do!)
Tricia Patterson
Distillery Operations
(Bottling & Events Superstar.)
Steve Myers
Distiller
(With a knack for all things production.)
Persie Distillery Gin Popular Dog Frenzy
Ailsa Bruce
Digital Guru
(She’s all over the socials.)
Persie Distillery Originals
Zesty Citrus Gin
The starter. 42%
An explosion of limes and blood oranges with piny notes on the nose. On the palate there is a sharp citrus cut-through with a long, zingy finish.
Key botanicals are juniper, orange zest and lime zest.
Serve with full-fat tonic or rose lemonade and garnish with a little torn mint. Or a Hugo is perfect: just add Prosecco and a splash of elderflower cordial.
Herby & Aromatic Gin
The main course. 40%
Fragrant herb gardens with bay trees, rosemary and basil on the nose. To taste, it is savoury with gentle spices, and a rich, olive oil mouthfeel.
Key botanicals are juniper, rosemary, basil, bay leaves and olives.
Serve with a light tonic to keep it dry, or sweeten with hibiscus tonic. Tear up a few basil leaves and drop in the glass. Or try a Red Snapper: just add tomato juice and Tabasco, then float a little Fino sherry on the top.
Sweet & Nutty Old Tom Gin
The pudding. 43%
Vanilla ice cream on the nose, with butterscotch sauce and almonds. A creamy, full-bodied gin, with a nutty gingerbread finish.
Key botanicals are fresh vanilla pods, almonds and root ginger. (Allergen free.)
Serve the gin dry with tonic or sweet with ginger ale and add a wedge of orange. Or grown-up gin-lovers should try a Negroni: one part gin; one part red vermouth; one part Campari.
Labrador Gin
Like the breed, Labrador Gin is traditional, mellow, soft in the mouth and warming. It is fresh and playful up front, then soft and warming once it settles.
What makes the gin traditional is bags of juniper on the nose. What makes it soft and warming is cardamom and eucalyptus, which rise to the surface once you add tonic.
Suggested serve: light tonic or light lemonade, a slice of lemon and some torn mint.
Spaniel Gin
Like the breed, Spaniel Gin is spirited and spicy but very gentle. This gin has great warmth and intensity with a silky soft coating.
What makes the gin spicy is the use of mace and cinnamon as dominant botanicals. The gentle finish is down to bay leave
Suggested serve: full fat tonic or ginger ale, plus a wedge of lime or a gherkin.
Dachshund Gin Liqueur
Our Dachshund expression is a lime gin liqueur. Just like the breed, it is the perfect balance of sweet and sharp! Bursting with zest, it has a long body and is best served short.
It is made with hand-pressed limes and oranges; the same fresh fruit which has been zested to make our bestselling Zesty Citrus Gin.
Suggested serve: On the rocks. Or add Champagne! Or greedy people can pour it over pancakes.
Dog Days Gin
In addition to our dog gins family, we also created Dog Days – our cross-breed gin! It has the traditional piney notes of Labrador, the delicate spices of Spaniel, and the fresh and fruity notes of Dachshund! For our suggested serve, try a twist of orange with a cinnamon stick.
“Zesty Citrus Gin – the fresh zest is incredible”
“I bought my mum a bottle of Zesty Citrus intending it to be a Christmas present. It didn’t even make Hallowe’en, she loved it! She’s picky about her gins too, but she thought the fresh zest in this was incredible.”
Amy, Birmingham
“It’s Friday. It’s six o’clock. That glass isn’t going to raise itself.”
There are seven different expressions in the Persie Distillery gin range – all built to be enjoyed neat, with tonic or a variety of mixers, and in cocktails.
The Distillery Originals.
The Distillery Originals range has three flavour profiles – fruity, savoury and sweet – the styles that prove consistently most popular at tastings. Zesty Citrus is sharply fruity, chock-full of limes and oranges; Herby & Aromatic is dry and savoury, with rosemary, basil, bay leaves and olives; and Sweet & Nutty Old Tom is full-bodied and creamy, with fresh vanilla pods, almonds and a hint of root ginger. We think of it as a starter, main course and pudding in gin!
The Charity Dog Gins.
We have chosen PADS dog rescue as our dedicated charity partner and are committed to raising funds to rehome abandoned dogs through a series of ‘dog gins’ – where the breed is reflected in the gin! The range includes Labrador Gin (traditional and mellow), Spaniel Gin (lively and spicy), and Dachshund Gin Liqueur (sweet and sharp)! For every bottle sold, £1 is donated to PADS.
We also have a special edition, Dog Days, which is our cross-breed gin as it is a mix of the three breeds!
Persie Distillery Gin Popular Dog Frenzy
Personalised Gin
If you’re booking a tour for a special occasion, it might be worth thinking about a personalised label for that special someone. We can create a bespoke label for your family member or friend and make sure their gin bottle is ready to present to them after the tour.
All you have to do is go to our web shop at least three working days in advance and place your order. And remember! Choose Click & Pick at checkout so you are not charged shipping – and please put the date of your tour in the delivery comment box so we know when to have your bottle ready and waiting. Link below to have a look at what we can do.
Persie Distillery Gin Popular Dog Frenzy
Opening Hours
March – December 2024
Monday to Sunday
12 noon to 5pm
January – February 2025
Winter Opening Hours
Thursday to Sunday
12 noon to 5pm
*Monday to Wednesday
By Appointment Only
Email snifter@persiedistillery.com to book
Address
Persie Distillery at Auchenflower
Old Military Road (A93)
Bridge of Cally
Perthshire
Scotland PH10 7LQ
Contact
For all enquiries
Email snifter@persiedistillery.com
For urgent enquiries only
Telephone 01250 886798
Please call for time-sensitive enquiries only as our small team is often busy distilling, bottling and running tours!
Directions
Travelling north on the A93, pass the Bridge of Cally Hotel on your left and drive straight on for 1.5 miles. Continue for 200 yards past the drive with the ‘Persie’ sign and it is the white house and steading immediately on your left. Follow the brown tourist sign instead of the sat nav!
Travelling south on the A93, pass the road on your right signed B950 to Kirkmichael. Do not turn off, but drive straight on for 3 miles, and it is the white house and steading on your right. Just look out for the brown tourist sign.
