Hand-crafted in the far North of Scotland, Holy Grass Vodka, is the latest release from the multi-award winning Dunnet Bay Distillery in Caithness. It features the unusual botanical Holy Grass (or Anthoxanthum nitens) once discovered on the banks of the nearby Thurso River by Robert Dick.
Holy Grass, so-called as it was once used to bring a sweet, vanilla smell to church floors, brings a wonderful and distinct herbaceous flavour to his new vodka. A celebration of local produce and ingredients, the spirit is also infused with a carefully crafted vapour of Highland apples and apple juice, to complement the sweetness of the Holy Grass. The result is a delicate and fresh vodka with a creamy smooth finish.
The craft vodka is carefully distilled by husband and wife team, Martin and Claire Murray, who have devised a secret and completely unique way to distil the vodka using Elizabeth, their traditional copper pot still, and Caithness stone. They hope to emulate the success of Rock Rose Gin which they launched earlier in the year to critical acclaim and which featured hand-foraged, local botanicals.
Martin Murray, Co-Founder of Dunnet Bay Distillery, explains, “As with Rock Rose Gin, we wanted to create a spirit that captures and celebrates the heritage of Caithness and its local botanicals. Our Holy Grass Vodka is a tribute to Robert Dick, a legendary botanist from Tullibody, who lived in Thurso in the 1800s. We believe it offers vodka lovers a completely new and delicious taste experience.”
Since Martin and Claire founded Dunnet Bay Distillery in 2014, they have picked a plethora of awards most recently B est New Business at the Highlands and Islands Food & Drink Awards in October 2015 and Runner-Up for Best Drink and Best New Product (Rock Rose Gin). Rock Rose Gin was also named in the Top 50 Food and Drink Products in Britain at the Great Taste Awards 2015.
They produce three spirits Rock Rose Gin, Rock Rose Gin ‘Navy Strength’ and now Holy Grass Vodka. The new spirit will have a retail price of £34 and be available to pre-order via their website, rockrosegin.co.uk, from 10am on November 26th with delivery available from early December – just in time for Christmas.
In the meantime, you can keep up to date with all the distillery’s latest news and activities via their Facebook page.
North Highland Regeneration Fund
NDA Site Facing Team, D2003 Dounreay, Thurso, Caithness, KW14 7TZ
Registered in Scotland: SC301805
