Strathearn Distillery unveils Scottish cider brandy

Strathearn Distillery has collaborated with Thistly Cross Cider to create what is thought to be the first Scottish cider brandy.

Strathearn Scottish Cider Brandy will be released in small single cask batches of 200 bottles.

“Distilling cider was something I’d always been interested in, so I applied for a cider licence when I built the whisky distillery, just in case,” said Tony Reeman-Clark, founder of Strathearn Distillery, which opened in 2013.

“The plan started to come together when I passed Thistly Cross on a train. I hadn’t realised that there was a cider maker in Scotland so, from that point, everything clicked into place.”

To make the bottling, Thistly Cross Cider presses apples, the juice from which is then fermented with a mixture of Champagne yeasts, before being matured for a minimum of six months.

This cider is then transported to the Perthshire-based Strathearn Distillery where it is distilled in copper stills. The resulting spirit is rested in a virgin American white oak and virgin European red oak.

“Traditionally, Scotland hasn’t been thought of as a big producer of cider, but we’ve changed that perception in recent years,” said Peter Stuart, head cider maker at Thistly Cross Cider.

“This, along with Scotland’s world-renowned spirits industry, spurred us on to try something new. We are both proud to be contributing to Scotland’s distilling heritage.”