DON'T TELL ME I CAN'T… ...make my own gin

Lorien Cameron-Ross wanted others to enjoy a taste of Loch Ness

- FIONA KINLOCH, FIRGAS ESACK

Swirling the liquid around my glass, I bring it to my lips and take a sip.

‘Delicious,’ my husband, Kevin, then 52, and I nod in agreement. After almost a year, and countless attempts, Kevin and I have finally created our very own gin using botanicals growing around our home in Loch Ness. We’re thrilled to have finally found our taste, and at age 41, I have my own gin distillery.

The idea of creating our own gin came in 2015 after Kevin and I went on a gin tour in Inverness. Learning Scotland imports most of its juniper – the main ingredient of gin – from overseas, we saw an opportunity.

Back at home in Loch Ness, we lived on a small estate and were surrounded by an abundance of wild juniper, so Kevin and I decided we could pick the berries to sell to distilleries.

Only, that was very labour intensive, time-consuming and not cost-effective. It took three hours to pick a kilogram of berries that sold for just £7.