CORNHILL Castle has formed a partnership with The Wee Farm Distillery and launched their own branded Ghillie Gin.
This summer the venue near Biggar, South Lanarkshire, refurbished their restaurant, which is now called The Ghillie – a nod to the hotel’s heritage and location beside the River Clyde.
One of the features of the new restaurant is a selection of quality whiskies and gin stored in a traditional wooden cabinet.
And to expand the gins on offer at the venue, a partnership has been formed with local company The Wee Farm Distillery, who are based nearby in Climpy, Forth.
The distillery which has been running for around three years was founded by farmer Jenny McKerr. Jenny has a background in farming and beef, and her starting point was to find a gin which would complement a steak. This led her to create Drover’s Gin – which has a mix of 13 botanicals including citrus, thistle and heather, as well as pink peppercorns and allspice.
Her gin has also been inspired by the spirit of farming – an idea which was born one cold, snowy April as she was tending a flock of ewes who were lambing. As well as Drover’s Gin, Jenny also makes gin-based liqueurs in over 40 flavours.
Cornhill Castle is part of the Manorview Hotels & Leisure Group portfolio, who were inspired by the venue’s surroundings and history during the rebranding of The Ghillie restaurant. The Clyde Valley location means there is wealth of quality food and drink on the doorstep, something that the venue is keen to make use of and promote. An opportunity arose to work with up-and-coming The Wee Farm Distillery, and the result is the Drover’s Gin, bottled under Cornhill’s specially designed Ghillie Gin branding with each bottle having its own unique number.
Sharon Stuart, General Manager, Cornhill Castle, said: “We’re delighted to be working with The Wee Farm Distillery and to be able to offer our customers something unique with our own branded Ghillie Gin. We’re also working on some more plans such as hosting specially themed events aimed at bringing us and our local community closer together.”
Jenny McKerr, Founder of The Wee Farm Distillery, said, “It’s fantastic to be producing The Ghillie Gin for Cornhill Castle. It’s the perfect venue to enjoy the best local food and drink and we are proud to work alongside the team.’
