The Craft

This evening the Parliament hosted a reception for Scottish Craft Distillers who displayed ( and offered for tasting) many of their tempting wares.

There was wonderful potato vodka from Angus and more gins than you could imagine including the very good "Reel" from Shetland.

Crossbill was founded by entrepreneur Jonathan Engels seen here with Rural Affairs Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead who has driven forward a renaissance in Scottish food and drink.

It started in my own constituency of Argyll and is the first Gin in two centuries to use 100% native Scottish juniper.

Now however it is being distilled in a rather fantastic shed in the Cairngorms near to where the juniper is grown and the intensity of the taste is remarkable.