With Christmas coming up I've created a guide for some amazing gifts with a gin theme.
Buying gifts for your favourite gin fans can be hard, especially with some of the fancier gins coming in at a hefty price and the worry of picking the wrong one.
With that in mind, I have created a list of pocket-friendly Christmas gifts from local independent makers. Trust me, gin fans will love any of these gifts, and you won’t run the risk of offending them by picking something juniper-forward or overtly floral when they are more of an oak-aged gin fan.
(£14.45 per light)
Your chosen gin fan can proclaim their love for all things gin while illuminating the dark corners of their abode.
You can help put some style into their lighting options with these lovely LED lights from Scottish company Gift Wrapped and Gorgeous.
GWAG provides a platform for Scottish designer-makers to sell their creations. It's a great way to source unique gifts while making sure your Christmas budget goes to independent businesses.
(£20 plus delivery)
If you are looking for a lovely wee stocking-filler, look no further than Swally Shirts.
As it says on their website, Swally Shirts "create original t-shirts inspired by our love of whisky, craft beer, gin and other drinks. If it's a good swally, we'll put it on a shirt".
Swally Shirts are an innovative small company based in Glasgow who bring that "Glesga" cheekiness into their designs. Not only that, they source their materials from manufacturers that adhere to the FairWear Foundation workplace standards.
(£15 plus delivery)
This wonderful print is handmade by Laura Bremner, the designer-maker of Juniper Press in Aberdeen. I love the fluid lettering in this print. But the main reason I like it is because the designer has clearly done their homework.
The Gin producers included span the whole range of tastes, from the drier-tasting Isle of Harris Gin right up to the more floral Botanist.
(£48.00)
This is at a higher price point than some of our other choices, but this is such a high-quality item it would be a shame not to include it.
The aim of Manuscript Maps is to put the Art back into Cartography, and boy have they done it.
All of the maps are drawn by hand using dip pens and ink. Every single line is drawn by hand - over 4000 very thin horizontal lines were hand-drawn simply to create the shading of the sea.
According to the expert Cartographers at Manuscript Maps, The Gin Map took 120 hours to draw. They also had several hours of preparatory research to include all 97 distilleries and 150 Gin brands.
The A2 sized maps are printed on high-quality 300gsm textured card, and they are all individually numbered, signed, and dated.
(£12.99 plus delivery)
These cute wee mugs will be appreciated by the Gin Lover in your life. Each 11oz ceramic mug is dishwasher safe, but GWAG recommends hand-washing to keep the colours nice and bright.
The mug is sent complete with a cute little ribbon-tied gift box ready for gifting. Perfect for those of you who aren't so keen on wrapping all the presents. Or, those of you who despite your best efforts, always end up covered in sticky tape.
I absolutely adore this collection! Laura Bremner from Juniper Press is hitting it out the park once again. Anyone who is a Scottish Gin Connoisseur will love this print. The print itself is really interesting with lots of different fonts surrounding a "Gin Lover's" Gin Bottle. The print lists the old faves such as Hendricks, but it also includes many of the new producers such as Teasmith, Esker, Persie and El:Gin.
This wonderful artwork is available as a print costing £15, a £12 Cotton Tote Bag, a £12 "Fancy Gin Fund" Money Bank and a £10 ceramic mug.
(£25 per person)
The first ever Meetup event I organised was with Orchid Aberdeen, and I can't wait to return. The staff at Orchid are very knowledgable, with the Manager Nick having recently won the Scottish Licensed Trade News Mixologist of the Year. It was Nick himself who was our host at our Gin Tasting, and he guided us through the
It was Nick himself who was our host at our Gin Tasting, and he guided us through the the history of Gin and its Dutch cousin Jenever. We tasted a selection of different Gins and were given a couple of G&Ts afterwards. It was a great night and very good value.
(From £14 per person)
If you would like to have a wee boozy day in Glasgow, this is the one for you! Ashton Lane is a unique part of Glasgow's West End: it's very close to Hillhead Subway station and is in a unique part of Glasgow filled with independent retailers.
Every deal comes with two double measures of Scottish Gin with garnish, seating in a Private dining room with a dedicated server. You can also choose which level of food you want with your Gin, whether that's some bar nibbles like Chilli Rice Crackers, a Cheese platter, or a full2-coursee lunch.
This offer is available from itison until 30th November and it takes a decent 37 per cent off the normal cost.
(£12.50 pre-order)
ThisIs Guides is a very exciting venture by new company Disrupted. Disrupted was formed in 2012, with Directors Karin and Scott researching the Craft Drinks phenomenon, which can be found in Gin, Whisky and Craft Beer.
Their first Guide will be available at the end of November, and will feature several well-known names in Scottish Gin. Claire from Summerhouse Drinks will contribute an article, as well as Andy Stewart from the Tippling House, who is an award-winning Mixologist and Craft Spirit fan. Andy will share his knowledge on crafting the perfect G&T and some delicious cocktails as well as some other fun bits.
The Scottish Gin Guide will include space for tasting notes and for you to write your own ratings of each Gin.
If you are one of the lucky ones that manages to get a copy at the pre-order price, you will also receive some fun surprise bonuses and an exclusive invite to a private event hosted by ThisIs Guides.
(£30 for a pack of 6)
This would be a great little stocking-filler for a Gin fan. Even better, keep some of the baubles for yourself and give some of them as a Secret Santa gift.
(£18.50)
It isn’t a Gin as it’s about half of the required strength, but this would be a nice little present for a Gin fan. It's very affordable and great as a Christmassy gift.
• For further information on Scottish gin and its producers why not check out the Gin Room Scotland
Jayne Carmichael Norrie's Great Scottish Hygge Hideouts - Aberdeen
