Every distillery has a flagship, the bottle that started everything. Ours is Stirling Gin, and it tastes like nowhere else on earth, because it's made with something you can only find here: wild nettles, hand-foraged from the Stirlingshire landscape.
This is the story of how a small-batch gin, distilled in a still barely bigger than a kettle, grew into Stirling's first legal distillery in over 150 years.
Why nettles?
Plenty of gins lean on juniper and citrus. Stirling Gin does too, but its signature is the wild nettle, picked by hand from the land around Stirling. It's an unusual botanical, and a deliberate one. The nettles give the gin a fresh, herbal character and a gentle warmth on the finish that simply can't be replicated anywhere else, because no other nettles grow in this soil, under this castle.
That's the whole idea behind Stirling Gin: a spirit built for people who care what's actually in their glass, and that carries a real sense of the place it came from.
Made at the Old Smiddy, beneath the Castle
Stirling Gin is distilled at the Old Smiddy, a 19th-century blacksmith's workshop at the very foot of Stirling Castle. It's a fitting home: a working forge turned working distillery, tucked into the historic heart of the Old Town. Every bottle is finished with a hand-dipped wax seal, a small reminder that this is made by people, in small batches, by hand.
From a 2.4 litre still to a distillery
Stirling Gin didn't start with grand plans. It started with a tiny 2.4 litre still and a good idea. As word spread and the gin picked up its awards, that idea grew into something far bigger: Stirling's first legal distillery on the castle rock, and, remarkably, the return of whisky-making to the city for the first time in 171 years. You can read the full story on our Our Story page.
The gin remains the heart of it all. It's still the bottle we're best known for, and still the one we'd hand you first.
How it tastes, and how to serve it
Stirling Gin is bottled at 43% and built to be balanced rather than brash.
- Nose: fresh juniper, wild nettle and bright citrus
- Palate: herbal, slightly sweet and well balanced
- Finish: clean and long, with a gentle nettle warmth
Our serve of choice is simple: pour it over plenty of ice with Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic, add a dried orange wheel and a sprig of rosemary, and give it a moment. If you'd rather shake something up, it's the base of half our gin cocktails to make at home.
Meet the rest of the range
Once you've fallen for the flagship, there's plenty more to explore. Step up to Battle Strength Gin for a bolder, higher-strength pour at 55%, or try our folklore-inspired liqueurs, the raspberry Red Cap and the minty Green Lady. Browse the whole Stirling gin range to find your favourite.
Or come and taste them at the source: our Gin Experience walks you through the range, the nettles and the still room, beneath the Castle where it all happens.
Frequently asked questions
What makes Stirling Gin different?
Hand-foraged wild Stirlingshire nettles. It's an unusual botanical that gives the gin a fresh, herbal character and a flavour rooted in the place it's made.
What does Stirling Gin taste like?
Fresh juniper, wild nettle and bright citrus on the nose; herbal, slightly sweet and balanced on the palate; a clean, long finish with a gentle nettle warmth.
What's the ABV, and what sizes does it come in?
Stirling Gin is bottled at 43% ABV and available in 5cl, 20cl and 70cl.
Where is Stirling Gin made?
At the Old Smiddy, a 19th-century blacksmith's workshop at the foot of Stirling Castle, home to Stirling's first legal distillery in over 150 years.
Ready to taste it? Shop Stirling Gin or explore the full range.
