Arbikie launches Scottish chilli vodka

This month, just one year after launching its first vodka – Scotland’s first potato vodka in November 2014, followed by Kirsty’s gin in July – craft distiller Arbikie Highland Estate has launched Arbikie Chilli Vodka.

Arbikie is using chipotle chillis grown in Scotland by Scotland’s first Chilli farm, Chillilicious.

The distillery has also filled its first casks in anticipation of launching an Arbikie single malt Highland whisky, which will “represent the unique environment of the Angus region”.  

Arbikie has continued its ‘farm to bottle’ ethos, using grain grown on the estate to make the whisky, which it says will be Scotland’s first white/brown liquid single estate distillery.

Arbikie Arbikie Chilli Vodka captures the earthy smokiness of the chipotle giving the vodka an extra dimension than just heat.  It is envisaged that the vodka will be perfect in a Bloody Mary or, for the more adventurous, a Beetroot Bloody Mary.

John Stirling, operations director says: “It’s been a great year for Arbikie. We’ve got some exciting plans for the next year and we hope to continue our growth in the UK as well as overseas.”

Arbikie Highland Estate is a 2,000 acre farm based at Lunan Bay in Angus. Owned by brothers David, John and Iain Stirling, the family has been farming the land since 1860. Arbikie has adopted a unique approach to distilling by placing provenance and traceability at the heart of the company.  Arbikie is a ‘farm to bottle’ distillery meaning that everything is grown, distilled, matured, bottled and distributed all from the one site.

1 December 2015 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor