Arbikie Strawberry Vodka

Scotland’s Arbikie Distillery distils its own vodka and grows its own strawberries, and brings them together in this tasty and punchy 50% ABV Strawberry Vodka.

Arbikie History

First a little history, though, as it tells you where this Strawberry Vodka comes from. Records show that there has been distilling on this estate, near Arbroath on the east coast of Scotland, since 1794. The estate sits with the salty sea to the west and the earthy Angus hills to the east, with pure water from their own source, and potatoes, strawberries, wheat and other produce coming from the soil.

Back in the 18th century distilling was field to bottle, pure and simple, long before anyone came up with the phrase. Nobody bought in spirits, you made your own, and Arbikie decided to continue with that tradition. Many distilleries in the UK buy their raw spirits from overseas, or from anonymous distilleries in the UK, which simply produce raw spirit to sell on to distilleries with famous names to work their magic on it. Not Arbikie, though.

Arbikie Highland Estate Distillery

There’s also been farming on this land since 1660, and the privately-owned Arbikie Highland Estate Distillery is now run by three brothers: Iain, David and John Stirling. It means they are free to make all their own decisions, without having to please corporate shareholders or large multi-nationals that might be headquartered in Japan or the USA.

Every ingredient used is produced within a stone’s throw of the distillery, even the chillis that go into their chilli vodka. When I saw they produced a chilli vodka I assumed that those chillis, at least, would have to be imported. No. Arbikie started its own chilli farm. Honey that is used is from their own bees, and to produce their gin they also started growing their own juniper, which is in short supply in the UK although it used to be much more widespread and does grow naturally there.

That hard work and dedication resulted in The Spirits Business choosing them as one of the Top Ten Single Estate Distilleries in the World.

Awards

Arbikie has won so many awards for different spirits that it’s amazing to remember that they only opened in November 2014. They’ve won at the World Vodka Awards, the World Gin Awards and picked up titles like Best Vodka and Vodka of the Year in competitions all over the world.

Arbikie’s Vodkas

Arbikie now has a portfolio of spirits, but it all started with their original Potato Vodka, which is now called Tattie Bogle. It’s a great name for a vodka made from potatoes. Tattie bogle is a Scottish phrase for a scarecrow in a potato field, with tatties or taters being slang words for potatoes in various places around the UK.

Potatoes are the raw ingredient for the vodka and other spirits made at the Arbikie Highland Estate Distillery in the Scottish Highlands — Vodka in the Making!

Now, though, Arbikie has added to its vodkas with some flavoured vodkas, some limited editions, a Haar Vodka made from wheat, and a Deil’s Knap Vodka made from rye. I know that a haar is a coastal fog/mist that rolls inland and which the farm and distillery are therefore all-too-familiar with, but I’ve no idea who, what or where Deil’s Knap is.

Arbikie Strawberry Vodka

All of which leads me back to their Strawberry Vodka, the first Arbikie vodka I’ve tasted… though it won’t be the last. I know from years of eating them, on my many visits to Scotland, that Scottish strawberries are among the tastiest in the world. Arbikie blends them with their wheat vodka, and bottles the combination at a high alcohol content of 50% ABV.

The Strawberry Crop

The distillery points out that the strawberry crop is different every year, depending on the season’s conditions, so each bottling of their Strawberry Vodka will be its own vintage. The strawberries are grown chemical-free so are as natural as can be.

Tasting Arbikie Strawberry Vodka

Having built up my anticipation, I filled a shot glass with the vodka, and sniffed it. I was not disappointed. It’s a heady and full aroma, and you can tell right away it’s got a high alcohol content. It’s rich in strawberries, naturally, in a lovely strawberry jam kind of a way, though not too sweet. It has more of a vanilla creaminess to it, and an appley freshness. It’s one of those aromas to savour for a while – a long while – till the desire to taste it is irresistible.

Tasting the vodka brings a surprise, as although the strawberry creaminess is still lusciously there, I immediately noticed a contrasting flavour: wheat. At the time I didn’t know this was made from their wheat vodka, I assumed it was their original potato vodka, but a quick dash to their website confirmed I was right: it’s made from wheat vodka. It took me back to exploring the countryside as a kid, and walking by – and, if no-one was looking, running through and hiding in – wheat fields, and that gloriously fresh summer smell of crops in the heat.

Note: There’s only the suggestion of vanilla in the aroma and taste, as I assume not even Arbikie can grow vanilla beans up in Scotland.

As well as the natural strawberry/vanilla sweetness and creaminess, there’s also a caramel/toffee/butterscotch burnt/sweet taste to it. It’s got a very smooth finish, with that lingering hint of strawberry that’s been there from when you first sniffed it. For me it’s definitely a sipping vodka, but Arbikie suggests their perfect serve.