Spirit Of The Isles

Natalie Millar-Partridge journeys to the Isles of Scilly to discover a gin that embodies the spirit of St Mary’s where it is made

- Natalie Millar-Partridge

Imagine a gin that not only tastes incredible but also transports you to its origins – taking you on a sensory journey that stretches some 350 years; Scilly Spirit does just that.

Scilly Spirit is the new (and only) Island Gin on St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly. Having launched in June last year, its brand’s origin stems from a true recorded event dating back to January 1665, when a spice trade ship was wrecked off what is still now the most south-westerly island of the UK – Bishop Rock, part of the incredible archipelago of these islands.

The aforementioned ship was carrying peppercorns from Java – one of the key botanicals of the gin’s unique recipe – and the dramatic event concluded with the survivors being rescued by the infamous pilot gig-boats, which on sight of the wreckage coming ashore, had duly set off from St Mary’s island, now home to the new Scilly Spirit Distillery.

“Considering the fantastic story along with the beauty of the Isles of Scilly – a natural wonder where nature thrives and the soul is inspired – whose heritage revolves around the sea, it gave us such a rich territory to inspire the brand development and bottle design for our Island Gin. We had the challenge of capturing the essence of this enchanting archipelago, whilst paying reference to the original inspirations for our brand. Furthermore, in light of the numerous shipwrecks off Scilly’s Western Rocks, one of the most majestic lighthouses now stands proud on Bishop Rock, to alert the ships, and so we felt it imperative that we pay homage to this important icon of the Scilly Isles,” explains co-founder Art Miller.