EVENTS : Visit to Highland Boundary, Perthshire

Located in the beautiful rolling hills of Perthshire, Highland Boundary is a small batch hand crafted Scottish white spirit that is made from botanicals gathered from the countryside right outside their front door.

I went up to spend some time with partners, Marian and Simon, at their home/distillery to get to grips with what they are doing, their story, the distillery and whats next.

Marian and Simon both come from a science background. Both had an interest in biodiversity and conservation throughout their careers as biologists, and now they have extended their passion into working with nature to produce their product.

So what is Highland Boundary?

It’s a wild Scottish Spirit that was first released in 2018. This birch and elderflower spirit takes inspiration from similar Swedish type spirits and comes in at a healthy 40%ABV.

The Birch and Elderflower Wild Scottish Spirit uses birch buds and elderflowers picked from spring woodlands which add minty wintergreen flavours whilst the elderflower adds floral, sweet warming notes.

Pop this spirit in the freezer and let it chill then serve as a shot or digestive, otherwise it tastes great in a range of cocktails. Ideas for cocktails are listed on their website but an easy one is to serve it with soda, ice and a slice of apple.

Their farm is on a lovely spot near Alyth, Perthshire where they have built their home and small scale distillery. Their name comes from the geological feature, called the Highland Boundary Fault, on which their farm lies. They have one foot in the Highlands and one in the Lowlands of Scotland.

To make the spirit they use a combination of infusion and distillation in their copper alembic still and post-distillation infusion to obtain the maximum botanical flavour in their spirits.

Marian and Simon care about the environment; not only is their botanicals 100% Scottish but also collected from an area around the farm. They are very considerate of the environment in every step of the process from harvesting sustainably by picking only what they need; they use recyclable materials in their bottling and packaging; and use solar-PV and biomass energy sources.

What a view to wake up to every day!

Besides distilling, Simon and Marian also rear a rare breed of sheep which is all intertwined in the local community. Local butchers, abattoirs, farmers and residents get involved in the food supply chain here and it’s all about helping each other out and sharing what you have. Another great community ethos that we should all be striving for.

Meet Zeus! A very happy and content ram but absolutely gorgeous too.

Marion and Simon, have a lot on the go besides sheep farming and distilling about 7000 bottles of Wild Scottish Spirit a year; they are both heavily involved in R&D. They are looking at ways to use the by-products of their harvest but also using the spirit in other various forms. New flavours are also at the forefront of their research and I am hoping that you’ll see a new flavour or two produced from this award winning duo soon.

This year Highland Boundary took Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, which saw nearly 3,000 entries received from all over the world, so suffice to say it’s darn good stuff.

Highland Boundary are popping up at festivals across Scotland this Summer, but if you can’t wait to get your hands on a bottle, visit their website to order www.highlandboundary.com