Arbikie Highland Estate also offers visitors a choice of other spirits

Scotland’s Arbikie Highland Estate is proudly producing the type of product that immediately comes to mind when people think of Scotland.

And a couple of other spirits that people generally don’t associate with Scotland as well.

The seaside enterprise — found between Aerdeen and Dundee — has 4 centuries of family farming behind it, but its owners also decided to branch out into distilling in recent years, producing whiskey, always quickly associated with Scotland.

The estate’s Iain Stirling is quick to note that it has been innovative, with Arbikie Highland Estate having also begun distilling rye whisky, becoming the first distillery in Scotland to produce that type of whisky in some 200 years.

And he adds that producing whisky is a clearly Scottish tradition.

“This is the home of whisky,” Stirling says of Scotland. “It’s a privilege to have that, just like golf.”

But Arbikie Highland Estate — happy to host tourists for whisky tastings — also produces gin, which many may fail to connect with Scotland, although Scotland now produces over 70% of the gin produced in Britain, Stirling reports.

Many Scottish distilleries prefer producing gin because it doesn’t require the at least three years of aging that whisky does before being marketable, leading to quicker returns on investment for the distiller.

Also distilled at Arbikie is vodka, with choices include what Stirling labels the “very unique” chilli vodka, and strawberry vodka, which he says “smells like strawberry jam…Unless you try it you don’t know if it’s going to work,” he adds of the non-mainstream creations.

Distilling is all done on site, with Arbikie stating that it is a “field-to-bottle distillery. We grow everything that we distill here on the farm,” Stirling adds.

The different Arbikie spirits are sold on site and Arbikie also has daily whisky tastings conducted by ex-patriate Romanian Gilbert Ionescu, who Stirling reports is both knowledgeable and passionate about whisky.

Arbikie products are now available in some 20 countries, with liquor stores in Ontario and British Columbia now carrying them, and they’ll possibly again be made available in Quebec. Aribikie is also talking with New Brunswick officials.

Stirling says those who don’t drink alcohol can still enjoy their visits, dining in  the distillery’s restaurant and learning about the making of whisky, with people tending to take for granted the process of making of a spirit that takes years before it is ready for sale.

Arbikie also has intriguing lodging coated with one-way glass and providing views of the coast visitors can overnight on.

“Arbikie is a distillery that is well worth a visit. This family-owned distillery is surrounded by beautiful scenery and welcomes you with a typical Scottish hospitality,” says Norwegian Katharina Wiig, who recently visited Arbikie on a Visit Scotland fam. “They offer several options: whisky, gin and cocktail school, which gives the visitors several options to learn about their products. Another strength is their focus on sustainability. They have photovoltaic panels on the roof and our distillation co-products being returned to our fields as natural fertilizers or being fed to our highland cattle.

“Arbikie is great for both FIT, groups and MICE, with a restaurant onsite as well as a private room for meals and tastings. If you really want to spoil yourself, go for a night in the unique and stunning ÖÖD Houses. You can end the day with some relaxing time in the bathtub – with a glass of whisky!”

Arbikie bills itself as “one of the world’s most sustainable distilleries,” with its gin and vodka named Nadar, Gaelic for Nature and described as “the world’s first climate positive spirits.”

“With a carbon footprint of -1.54 kg CO2e per 700 ml bottle, Nadar Gin is at the forefront of fighting climate change and biodiversity loss, the biggest challenges humankind has ever faced,” the distillery says.

The distillery’s ultimate goal is to be zero carbon neutral.

Other environmentally friendly features include electric car charging for visitors, all part of a commitment to a healthy planet, Stirling says.

“We’re stewards of this land,” he states.