Last time round Ally was talking all things alcohol now we turn to his second love, glorious glorious gin!
What is behind the gin explosion in the drinks industry?

 Every gin has their own story, their own botanical mix, and their own reason for creating the product. However that doesn’t mean they have built and opened a distillery themselves, it is quite easy to make gin, whether it has been made in a bathtub, at a distillery or at your own distillery. There is a massive range in the types of gin you can have, many suited to different palates. There are so many people saying now they never liked gin until last year or so, because they can identify with a brand, flavor or even using a different mixer than tonic. Every spirit has had a boom in the last 40-50 years, single malt scotch wasn’t popular until the 70’s, vodka in the 80’s and 90’s and now gin.

What makes a gin special to you?

If it can make a great martini, I’ll have it over and over. It is the cocktail that lets the gin stand out for itself, on both the tongue and nose.

How important is it to match the right tonic with your gin of choice? What tonic should consumers use with Kirsty’s Gin?

 Certain gins to match certain tonics better, but that doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself to one tonic for that gin. It really depends on what flavors you would rather taste in the gin, each tonic brings different aspects to each gin. Personally, I’m a sucker for Walter Gregor tonic, it is very bittersweet, giving you the best of both worlds!

What makes Kirsty’s Gin different to you?

 Using the potato vodka as the base for the gin is simply genius, it is a truly unique product. It’s Scotland’s first gin to be distilled from scratch without using bought in mass produced grain neutral spirit! Kirsty spent 2 years researching the perfect botanicals for the gin, which in this day and age is very rare to come by.

What is most important to consumers when deciding what gin to have?

 It’s all about what you like, if you rather a sweeter gin, a classic London dry, or something a bit weird and wonderful. There is a gin out there for everyone; you just have to try them to find out which one suits you best.

What is happening in the gin world that excites you?

We can make Martini Tuesday a thing!

70% of UK gin production is in Scotland. Why do you think there has been such a boom in gin distilling in Scotland?

Many gin distilleries in Scotland are producing Scotch whisky now as well, however they need to keep their businesses alive while it ages.

What is your favourite drink apart from gin? More Gin!