Battle Strength Gin

Battle Strength is distilled by hand at Stirling Distillery's Old Smiddy and bottled at 55% ABV. Its name recalls the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297, when William Wallace and Andrew Moray defeated an English army just below the castle, and the gin matches that history with a direct, juniper-ledJuniper-forwardA classic profile where juniper clearly dominates, with resinous, piney notes.Glossary profile. The distillery lists cracked black pepper and citrus zest alongside juniper, and describes a warming palate with a long, peppery finish.

Citrus · Spicy · Navy Strength

The nose is direct: juniper sets the frame, with black pepper and citrus zest adding lift and heat. That balance continues on the palate, where the spice is warming without hiding the core botanical. The finish is long and peppery, returning to a clean juniper note. At this strength the gin remains distinct after dilutionDilutionThe water added by melting ice. In the right amount it opens the aromas and softens the alcohol; too much flattens the drink.Glossary, making it suitable for a tonic serve as well as for drinking over ice or with a few drops of water.

Stirling recommends Fever-Tree Naturally Light TonicLight tonicA low- or no-sugar tonic, often sweetened with substitutes. Drier, it brings out the bitterness and the gin.Glossary and gives a long-drink recipe of 50 ml gin with 150 ml premium tonic over plenty of ice. Pink grapefruit peel and a bay leaf complete the copa glassCopa glassA large stemmed balloon glass, popularised by the Spanish gin and tonic: it stays cold for longer and gathers the aromas above the drink.Glossary. The citrus garnish echoes the zest in the profile, while the bay leaf adds a restrained herbal accent. Add a strip of peel to the drink and keep the garnish simple so pepper and juniper remain in focus. The generous dilution suits the higher strength and keeps the drink fresh without concealing the gin's spicy structure.

The gin is available in 50cl and 5cl bottles. The smaller format offers a way to taste its high-strength, peppery style before choosing a full bottle; either size is distilled and bottled in Stirling. The distillery itself occupies a former blacksmith's forge of 1888 on Lower Castlehill, restored and opened in 2019 as the town's first legal distillery.