Our partnership with SoilEssentials means that we can deliver the quality we desire in our artisan spirits and provide the meaningful element of traceability to our customers.
Farm: Arbikie
Location: Angus, Scotland
Crops grown: Spring barley, winter barley, winter wheat and potatoes
Land managed: 980 acres + 120 acres rented
Iain Stirling, Commercial Director
The Arbikie Highland Estate distillery, overlooking the sands at Lunan Bay and beyond to the north sea is a genuine single-site operation – the ingredients for all their spirits are planted, sown, grown and harvested within an arms-length of the distillery. Arbikie are serious about the quality of their ingredients – even the mountain-filtered water is taken from their underground spring.
Premium spirits can only come from the highest quality ingredients, and being independent and family-owned the Stirling brothers are in the enviable position of being able to oversee standards every single step of the way.
Their starting point was obvious – the ground should be in the best condition for growing great crops and so SoilEssentials have worked with Arbikie, from the outset, sampling their soils intensively and ensuring even, good acidity and nutrient status within every part of the fields. Help is then given with monitoring the growing crop through satellite images and flying drones for more detailed analysis. This is invaluable in ensuring no impurities find their way into the still.
It is the level of detail that is invested in the whole process even before a grain of cereal or a potato is planted, right through to the final distillation, that ensures Arbikie spirits maintain that simple, crisp and clean taste that is a true reflection of their unique Angus environment.
Iain explains they are now making a gin based on wheat grown from a named field allowing them to control the whole process from growing, right through to the bottled product.
“Working with SoilEssentials has been crucial over the last few years, helping us deliver on quality and traceability.”
