A win for gin! How a lottery win helped a small Herbidean distillers go from the kitchen table to award-winning
For eight weeks towards the end of every summer, if you visit Uist in the Outer Hebrides you’ll see the local people clambering up hill and down dale picking flowering heather in their droves.
But it’s not for decoration. Rather they’re harvesting the main ingredient for the gin that’s been produced on their Scottish island since 2019 and since taken the world by storm.
In fact Downpour Gin has become so popular in such a short time, it’s won two major awards.
But the prize for the 5,000 islanders isn’t money or even just helping a local business become successful – instead they receive a free bottle produced from the very heather they picked.
Jonny Ingledew, who owns North Uist Distillery with his partner of 18 years Kate MacDonald
‘They’re really happy – they receive a hyper-localised batch of gin from a township with ten people or from a hill they like to climb,’ explains Jonny Ingledew, who owns North Uist Distillery with his partner of 18 years Kate MacDonald.
‘And we like it because we get lots of heather flowers in. It’s a barter system, a traditional Hebridean thing.’
However, it might not have been possible but for a lottery win. Because while Jonny and Kate – who grew up on the beautiful island – launched Downpour Gin to great acclaim, they found the business was being held back by only having one still to produce the spirit.
They just couldn’t make enough.
Kate’s mum Annie decided to spend some of her winnings on a second still for them
Then, in February 2020, Kate’s mum Annie MacDonald became one of 101 islanders to win a share of £3m with the People’s Postcode Lottery. And she decided to spend some of her winnings on a second still for them.
‘Kate and Jonny were living with us,’ explains Annie. ‘The whole thing started on my kitchen table – testing different bottles, trying things out.
‘When we won, I wanted to do something for all my three children and I thought ‘what would be useful? Another still’.’
They ordered a 100-litre copper pot from Portugal costing £2,000 to match the one they already had.
‘We were living with Annie and she saw we were working late nights and weekends to maximise the use of our one still and she knew another would make a big difference,’ says Jonny, 39.
Now the distillery employs 14 people, sells gin all around the UK and exports it too
‘We were delighted – it was very thoughtful of her. And it allowed us to double production and grow the business.’
Now the distillery employs 14 people, sells gin all around the UK and exports it too. And the awards are stacking up – they were named Scottish Gin Distillery of the Year in 2022 and they won gold at the London Spirits Competition just a few weeks ago.
‘It’s a nice recognition of what the team is doing out here,’ says Jonny.
Now the plan is to turn their magic to whisky production with the first bottles due in 2027.
Once again, the plan is to make it ultra-local. ‘We’ll be using bere barley which grows on Uist and is the oldest barley variety in the UK,’ explains Jonny. ‘And, unlike most distilleries, we’re going to malt and distil on site.’
Jonny and Kate’s other side project – baby Seumas
But before then, he and 36-year-old Kate have another little project to take care of: their newborn son Seumas.
‘He’s our first child and was born five weeks ago,’ says the proud dad. ‘It’s been amazing – we put kids off for several years because we were working on the business.
‘But the time was right. And he’s stolen our hearts.’
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