San Antonio gin aficionados can now try a fancy Scottish sauce distilled with sugar kelp. Credit: Instagram / isleofharrisdistillers

The bracing botanical flavors of gin are part of what makes Tom Collins, gin rickey and el chapo cocktails refreshing summertime sippers.

Now, just in time for scorching summer temps, a fancy Scottish gin has arrived on U.S. shores for the first time with a promise of distinct coastal notes.

Multi-award-winning Isle of Harris Gin is made with a range of expected botanicals, including juniper, coriander and bitter orange peel. The novel twist here is that it’s also flavored with sugar kelp. Yep, seaweed.

Isle of Harris’ sugar kelp is sustainably harvested by Lewis Mackenzie, a local Scottish diver. Credit: Instagram / isleofharrisdistillers

The resulting liquor offers a well-defined juniper note, as well as fresh citrus notes of orange, lime and grapefruit, according to tasting notes from the distillery. The kelp adds complexity via a dry maritime element.

Isle of Harris Gin hails from the small harbor village of Tarbert, off Scotland’s far northwestern coast. Currently, 750ml bottles are available for $65 at Joe Saglimbeni Fine Wines and Spirits, 638 W. Rhapsody Dr., and San Antonio’s Twin Liquors locations.

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This article appears in Jun 16-29, 2021.

Nina Rangel uses nearly 20 years of experience in the foodservice industry to tell the stories of movers and shakers in the food scene in San Antonio. As the Food + Nightlife Editor for the San Antonio...