Tobermory Hebridean Gin Review

Tobermory on the Scottish Hebridean island of Mull must be one of the prettiest towns in Scotland. How could its gin not taste good?

I was lucky enough to visit Tobermory on a Scottish wildlife cruise through the Inner Hebrides a few years ago. Unfortunately there was no time to fit in a visit to the Tobermory Distillery, that’s been making whisky on Mull since 1798, so clearly knows a thing or two about distilling.

Over 220 years later, and they’ve decided to add a gin to their range. There are 13 botanicals that go into the Hebridean Gin and these include juniper, tea, heather, elderflower, and sweet orange peel, which are fresh from the island if they grow there. There’s also an intriguing addition to both make the gin different and to connect it with their whisky heritage, as they add a drop or two of spirit from the whisky stills into the gin.

Meet the Betties

The idea to produce a gin came about when the distillery had the opportunity to buy a 60-litre 1950s copper still from South Africa. They shipped it all the way to Mull, refurbished and installed it, and called it Wee Betty. (Betty’s a popular name for Scottish gin stills, as The Botanist from Islay is made in Ugly Betty.)

As Wee Betty is a bit on the small side, there’s going to be limited production of the gin initially, but it will be ramped up as the distillery is about to install a second dedicated gin still in a new stillhouse.

I was glad to read that, as I think they’re going to be selling a lot of this gin. Scottish gin now has a reputation for quality, and this is only going to add to it. For a start, it’s a beautiful bottle which makes the most of Tobermory’s colourful houses, as you can see from the photos.

Tobermory Hebridean Gin Review

On the nose the juniper isn’t too powerful, and is balanced by a sweetness, perhaps from the elderflower. There are citrus aromas too, and a hint of maltiness from the whisky. It’s certainly unique.

On the palate it’s quite sharp, with more citrus, plenty of spiciness, and with a vanilla creaminess and still a flavour of that malt. Even though it’s only slightly stronger than average at 43.3%, the alcohol definitely comes across, and all in all it’s a delightfully complex and pleasant taste. The finish is smooth, and is as fresh as everything else about this gin.

Serving Suggestion

Try it on ice with tonic and dried hibiscus flowers, which give a lovely pink hue to the gin, and a slightly tart cranberry-like taste, which contrasts the gin’s natural sweetness.