Distilleries
Juniper’s not just for Gin.
If you seek out the sites of Scotland’s illicit whisky stills of the past you might notice something a little odd – Juniper Bushes. Why would stills creating the water of life be found in areas where one of the main raw ingredients of gin thrives?
Historically whisky making in Scotland was very much illegal with the government going to great lengths and expense to try to curb the practice. The dreaded excise men were employed to seek out the illicit stills and shut them down, even going so far as to offer a financial reward to those who were willing to clype on their neighbours. Of course that’s not what we do in the Highlands and the job of the government men was usually made more difficult by misinformation rather than tale-telling.
Juniper bushes were a major help in hiding the stills too and not just as camouflage. Juniper is a smokeless fuel – the excise man can’t shut down your still if he can’t find it – hide it in woodland and heat it with burning juniper and there’s no tell-tale pall of smoke to lead him to your door!
With the legalisation of whisky making coming in the early 1800’s, many legitimate distilleries sprang up in the areas previously served by the illicit stills, areas where juniper bushes are abundant. One local distillery even reflects this early reliance on juniper in its very name – Tomatin is gaelic for “hill of the juniper” – a nod to the distillery’s history and perhaps a cheeky wee swipe at the excise man too.
The juniper is also put to good use on south Loch Ness, as we are home to the award winning Loch Ness Gin, distilled by Loch Ness Spirits.