Taigh Ailean Hotel

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In which I think about gin

December 20, 2016 by katie 4 Comments

I like gin. This will come as no surprise to most of you. You only have to look at Taigh Ailean’s Trip Advisor reviews to see I bang on about it quite a lot. And every person who doesn’t like gin when they arrive and skips off merrily singing the praises of a good grapefruit garnish is a personal brownie point between me and the juniper goddess Astarte.
People often ask me about my favourite gin – I really don’t have one. In the bar we have between 25 and 60 depending on stockists, season and demand. What I fancy depends on my mood, the time of day, the temperature, the company I’m keeping. I have a soft spot for Death’s Door from Wisconsin because it was the first *good* gin I ever tried. I am delighted that our two most local gins, Glen Wyvis (Dingwall) and Isle of Harris (Harris obvs) are delicious gins of excellent quality. The people at Daffy’s, Eden Mill and Caorunn are wonderful, friendly and produce the most beautiful glasses and accessories as well as fabulous gin. I could go on.
But gin in particular, it seems to me, Scottish gin, has become a bit of a *thing*. And this I do not love. The ‘shhhh, it’s actually gin’ coffee mugs and ‘I’d rather be drinking gin’ aprons have me singing the twangy beginning of the Stones’ Mother’s Little Helper rather than chortling into my nosing glass. Gin flavour popcorn, crisps etc are an abomination against both salty snacks and gin. I need to know exactly what my taste receptors are getting. Which is why I have always been suspicious of Snack-a-Jacks (surely something can’t come in caramel AND salt and vinegar flavours?) and why my mother’s cream cheese and Marmite profiteroles sent me into a small bout of hysteria one Christmas dinner. Don’t even get me started on the pea and banana salad…..
And the new gins, oh the number of new gins. Each week more come flooding into the market. Some, for example AVVA, are a welcome addition. Classy, herbilicious and crisp, this gin from Elgin has already become a local’s favourite. (The joy of seeing a large Skye bloke in bobble hat and wellies demanding lime AND berries with his gin because that is the correct serve never gets old). But some new gins are so much form over function, so much hype you can almost sniff the musty seats of the bandwagon…..
So, is my love affair with gin fading out in the same way as my pash for BA Robertson or my obsession with pastel hair extensions? I don’t think so, I hope not. I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime have a very wonderful Christmas, may your gin fizz be the fizziest possible xx

Filed Under: Blog

Comments

  1. Bridget C says

    December 21, 2016 at 11:12 am

    Wonderful! Very well written. I love the sentence about the bandwagon seats, but I still don’t like gin.

    And yes, it’s becoming a “thing”, like bacon. Could get boring, fast. Thanks heavens you are there to wave the banner of good quality food and drink.

    Reply
    • katie says

      June 13, 2017 at 6:14 pm

      Look, I found comments!!

      Reply
  2. jenny says

    June 7, 2017 at 2:53 pm

    sounds the perfect place to stay.Jenny Gwyer

    Reply
    • katie says

      June 13, 2017 at 6:12 pm

      Thanks xx

      Reply

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Wouldn’t it be lovely to get away from it all to a Hebridean island where you can relax and unwind,  explore and learn or challenge yourself physically, whatever suits your holiday needs. An island where history and the 21st century combine to give you the best possible experience. The Taigh Ailean team would really like to help you get the most of your time on Skye. From insider tips about the quieter spots to helping you book a swanky lunch to celebrate life, we’re so happy to help.
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Taigh Ailean Hotel
Portnalong
Isle of Skye
IV47 8SL

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