We are husband and wife team, Steven and Lynne Duthie. Together, we founded Aberdeenshire’s first gin distillery’ - Esker Spirits.
We were primarily interested in the distillation process - how do flavours work to complement each other? What makes a good spirit, what makes a great one? In making our own spirits, our concept was simple: we want to create classic spirits with enhanced flavours that are complemented by mixers and garnish, not defined by them.
Beginnings
An empty workshop at the bottom of the garden became the first Esker distillery, however this soon changed. In late summer 2016, Esker’s popularity meant we needed to expand and the search began for new premises. In early 2017 the distillery moved to the beautiful Kincardine Estate.
Birches
There is a show-stopping ingredient in all our spirits - silver birch sap. Ours are the first Scottish gins to use the botanical and it gives a uniquely silky, luxurious texture to the spirits. Silver birches are a feature of Royal Deeside and we tap the trees of the Kincardine Estate ourselves. We love the trees so much, they even feature in our branding.
Botanicals
It all comes down to taste. Take time to savour the notes on the nose, appreciate the mouth-feel and enjoy the aftertaste. You can taste distinctive, piney juniper in all our gins. You will feel the warmth of spice in Esker and Esker Gold, you can taste refreshing citrus in Esker and Silverglas London Dry.
Flavour
We pride ourselves on the distinctive flavours of our spirits. We don’t take any short-cuts to achieving the flavours - real fruit is where we start every time. Scottish raspberries, Spanish oranges… not to mention Mediterranean pomegranates. They all work perfectly alongside the Deeside silver birch in our spirits.
Future
As a brand, we have always been clear that we would like to focus on doing one thing well. We started with a focus on gin, however our future lies in being known for excellence in spirits. We started with Esker, our original London Dry gin. When we saw how well it was received, we launched Esker Gold, and then Silverglas. Our Esker Vodkas have extended our range, and we are always looking to develop new expressions. We hope you love them as much as we do.
