Angus distillery Arbikie has signed a deal that will see Scotland’s first potato vodka go on sale in Canada.
Family-owned Arbikie has agreed what it describes as a “substantial” distribution deal with SGWS, a leading Canadian drinks importer, for its Tattie Bogle Vodka.
The vodka is named after ‘tattie bogles’, the ancient Scots name for potato scarecrows that once stood sentry over all potato fields.
Inverkeilor-based, Arbikie uses the Maris Piper, King Edward and Cultra varieties of potatoes, all grown on their family farm.
The potatoes are harvested at the optimum time to ensure their creamy character stays alive all the way to the bottle.
Arbikie master distiller Kirsty Black said: “The flavour profile of our vodkas is determined by the ingredients grown on the farm.
“With Tattie Bogle there are clear spice notes and creaminess in flavour. We don’t bolt on the flavour in our spirits, the flavour is determined by the crops grown on the farm.”
The Stirling family, owners of Arbikie, have been farming since before 1660 and focus on using terroir in their products with a field-to-bottle approach where they grow, distil and bottle at the Arbikie Farm Distillery.
Arbikie director John Stirling said: “We are delighted to have agreed this landmark distribution deal.
“Our aim has always been to disrupt the vodka market by highlighting the importance of our base ingredients and how these impact on the flavour profile.
“By highlighting the field and potato variety used in each batch of Tattie Bogle we are giving the opportunity for consumers to trace the ingredients in our spirits.
“Our philosophy has always been about sustainability, innovation and quality, and our global consumers are very much buying into the opportunity to trace the ingredients in their spirits.
“The growing desire for provenance and traceability of ingredients is very now and this latest deal reflects this trend.”
He said the firm will soon open a distillery experience on site.
“We can literally show you the field the ingredients are grown in, another reason to visit Angus an area that is considered by many to be the birthplace of Scotland,” he added.
History
Arbikie Distillery draws from four centuries of farming experience within the Stirling Family.
Owned by brothers, John, Iain, David and Sandy Stirling, their aim is to be one of the world’s most sustainable distilleries.
Developing from an ever-expanding mixed arable farming business, built by their parents, they innovated to become one of the world’s few field-to-bottle distilleries
Looking down into scenic Lunan Bay, in the ancient county of Angus, ingredients for Arbikie spirits are planted, sown, grown and harvested in the surrounding 2,000 acres that make up the estate.
The ingenious distilling duo – Kirsty Black and Christian Perez- are there to ensure that the history, tradition and provenance of Scottish distilling is built into the DNA of each terroir-based spirit.
