FIRST JOURNEYS - THE HIGHLANDS TRAIL- PIN 21 OF 22
HILLS & HARBOUR GIN, Crafty Distillery, Galloway
A JOURNEY EXPLORING THE HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND
Every great journey deserves a memorable final stop. Tomorrow I'll return to Glasgow to celebrate International Scottish Gin Day, but before the tour comes full circle, there's one last distillery to visit.
Today's destination is The Crafty Distillery in Galloway, whose striking lightning bolt logo feels like the perfect symbol for Scotland—a country that has inspired generations of inventors, pioneers and innovators.
Scotland's influence reaches far beyond whisky and tartan.
It gave the world television, penicillin, logarithms, the telephone, the pneumatic tyre, the kaleidoscope, colour photography, the ATM and countless other innovations that have quietly shaped everyday life.
Even the humble gin and tonic owes part of its story to Scotland.
Edinburgh physician George Cleghorn helped establish quinine as an effective treatment for malaria through his pioneering medical observations in the eighteenth century. Decades later, British officers serving in India began mixing bitter quinine tonic with gin and citrus, creating one of the world's most enduring cocktails.
It seems only fitting, then, to finish this Scottish journey with a classic G&T.
Today's pour is Hills & Harbour Gin, crafted by The Crafty Distillery in southwest Scotland, where ancient forests meet the Solway coastline. Its botanical recipe beautifully reflects this landscape, combining Noble Fir needles gathered from Galloway's forests with locally harvested bladderwrack seaweed from the shore. Fresh, resinous and gently coastal, it's a gin that captures the character of its surroundings in every sip.
When this journey began, I thought I was simply exploring my Scottish gin collection. Instead, it became a journey through landscapes, legends, forgotten histories and remarkable people.
Every bottle opened another door, proving once again that the best spirits are never just about what's in the glass—they're about the places, people and stories that inspire them.
This virtual tour of Scotland showed me that every bottle holds a story, and that sometimes the greatest adventures begin without leaving home.
Scotland was only the beginning. The passport was ready for its next stamp.
A classic Gin & Tonic
- Hills & Harbour Gin
- Premium tonic water
- Garnish with fresh bay leaves, rosemary and a dehydrated orange wheel
Simple, elegant and the perfect way to raise a glass to Scotland.
Thank you for joining me on the journey.
Slàinte!