Sam Heughan makes higher ABV gin ‘to stand up in cocktails’

Following the successful launch of The Sassenach Whisky in 2022, Outlander star Sam Heughan has launched his new gin into the UK on-trade with the help of chef Tom Kitchin.

Distilled with botanicals from the Dumfries and Galloway region of Scotland, the London dry gin is crafted with juniper, rhubarb, heather, pine, bramble leaf, blueberry, crap apples and toasted oats to create a classic blend.

Released in the US earlier this summer, the gin will now be available across Kitchin’s collection of restaurants in Scotland, including Michelin-starred The Kitchin in Leith and Edinburgh restaurant and bar KORA.

Having met whilst filming Men In Kilts, the series that took Heughan on a series of road trips across his native Scotland, the pair have since formed a partnership.

First to serve The Sassenach Whisky and now the Scottish gin in the on-trade, speaking on the release, Kitchin said: “We’re really excited to be bringing The Sassenach Wild Scottish Gin to our guests. The local foraged botanicals used to carefully craft the gin and bring to life the rugged Scottish landscape, marries well with our From Nature to Plate philosophy and the fresh produce we serve at our restaurants.”

While the spirit will be served as a classic G&T available on the menu, with some seasonable serves incorporating elderflower, lemon, mint and cucumber flavours at The Kitchin, there’s also plenty of room to explore pairings.

Speaking to db, Heughan said: “I wanted the gin to stand up well in cocktails, hence the ABV increase, so a dry martini is good, the oats adding a mouth feel and fruit content round out on the palate with the apples giving a fresh zing.”

The gin, with an ABV of 42%, is the second spirit in Heughan’s Sassenach Spirits, a division of the Gret Glen Company, founded by Heughan and Alex Norouzi.