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Certified Scottish Gin
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Shetland Reel Up Helly Aa Gin 2024 is a Cask Aged Scottish Gin from Shetland Reel, created as part of the distillery’s annual series celebrating Shetland’s famous Up Helly Aa fire festival. Each year the distillery produces a limited-edition gin inspired by the Viking heritage and dramatic winter celebrations that take place across the islands. The 2024 release begins with Shetland Reel’s Zesty Gin before being rested in port casks for several months, allowing the spirit to develop additional layers of sweetness and depth. The result is a rich and expressive gin where bright citrus and piney juniper are complemented by gentle sweetness, warming spice and subtle oak influence from the cask.
Tasting Notes
Flavours
Nose
Bright citrus aromas lift from the glass with fresh lemon and orange peels leading the bouquet. Juniper berries provide a crisp piney backbone while soft oak sweetness and gentle spice from the port cask add depth and warmth.
Taste
Vibrant citrus freshness before developing into smooth juniper and subtle sweetness. The port cask influence introduces soft red fruit notes and warming spice that round out the flavour and add richness to the classic gin structure.
Finish
Citrus and juniper gradually soften into lingering sweetness and gentle spice, leaving a smooth and warming impression with subtle oak character.
How to enjoy this gin
Best served with a premium tonic and a large lemon twist, to bring out the bright citrus flavours. Or why not savour the citrus and aged notes in a classic gin cocktail, like a Martinez.
About Shetland Reel
At the northernmost edge of the United Kingdom lies the Isle of Unst in Shetland, where the North Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. Drawn by the island’s rugged beauty and strong sense of place, Frank and Debbie Strang moved to Unst in 2006 and took over the Saxa Vord Holiday Resort on the site of a former RAF radar station. Seeking to support the local community and create new employment opportunities, they began developing new ventures on the estate. With the guidance of whisky industry veteran Stuart Nickerson, the couple established Saxa Vord Distillery in 2014, Shetland’s first legal distillery, releasing Shetland Reel Original Gin later that year and launching the islands’ modern distilling story.
Production
Gin production at Saxa Vord Distillery centres around ‘Elsi’, a 100-litre engineered copper still built by the renowned still maker John Dore & Co. Small-batch distillation allows the team to carefully craft the Shetland Reel range, balancing classic gin botanicals with flavours inspired by the islands. Each batch is produced on site before being bottled and labelled on Unst. Visitors to the distillery can take part in guided tours and tastings, where they learn about the distillation process, the story behind the Shetland Reel gins, and the role the distillery now plays within the wider Saxa Vord estate, one of Shetland’s most distinctive visitor destinations.
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