The best three innovative drinks from Scottish businesses - including a ‘new cafe patron’

If you’re in the market for a new tipple this Christmas then these Scottish businesses are worth checking out, says Rosalind Erskine.

It’s December, which means shopping for Christmas gifts. If, like me, you’ve bought some family members the same thing year after year (a jumper and M&S biscuits for my brother in law), then trying to find something a bit different can be tempting. If you are buying for someone that loves to make drinks at home or is keen to try something new, there’s a few drinks businesses in Scotland that have launched excellent new products.

Pilot

First up there’s Leith’s Pilot beer has created a new spirit drink, Peach Melba, from one of its most popular beers, Peach Melba Sour. Pilot teamed up with Holyrood distillery to create this new drink. If your immediate thought is ‘oh no that sounds like peach schnapps circa 2002’ then don’t worry. The new Peach Melba Spirit Drink is a distillation of Pilot’s best-selling beer, with peach and raspberry purees, additional sliced peaches and vanilla - it’s bursting with fruit, it’s like summer in a glass. Matt Johnson from Pilot said: “The drink itself is a flavoursome, aromatic spirit drink with a huge hit of peach, raspberry and vanilla undertones and a whisper of new-make-ey character, bringing a subtle complexity to it.” Simply add some tonic and frozen raspberries as garnish for a fruity toast this Christmas. A full 70cl bottle is £32 and you can buy it here.

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Jalisgow coffee tequila launched in the autumnJalisgow coffee tequila launched in the autumn
Jalisgow coffee tequila launched in the autumn | Martin Shields

If you or your friends’ and family’s taste is less peach and more coffee then there are two new additions to the Scottish drink scene - a coffee tequila that’s set to rival the formerly discontinued Cafe Patron and a whisky coffee mash up. Jalisgow is a new coffee tequila and the brainchild of three Scottish friends who spotted a gap in the market. Jalisgow is a premium coffee infused tequila crafted by the experts at The Hacienda, Casa Reyes D’Barjas, situated in the town of tequila in Mexico, which is the second oldest tequila distillery in the world. It’s a smooth drink with the right amount of coffee hit and it’s ideal for cocktails. Jalisgow has been brought to market by three friends: Adam Alzadjally, founder of Pineapple Espresso coffee, Kieran Woods co-owner of Wee Knob Butter and Stewart Weir who brings decades of hospitality experience to the brand. Jalisgow (a blend of Jalisco and Glasgow). is £38 per bottle, and can be purchased directly at jalisgow.com.

Woven coffee spirit drink would make a brilliant old fashioned for coffee fansWoven coffee spirit drink would make a brilliant old fashioned for coffee fans
Woven coffee spirit drink would make a brilliant old fashioned for coffee fans | Woven

Staying with a caffeine fix, Edinburgh’s Woven whisky has partnered with Assembly Coffee in Brixton to launch WXC – a one-of-a-kind spirit drink that blends Scotch whisky with Colombian single-origin coffee. The collaboration brings together the expertise of Woven’s whisky maker and co-founder, Pete Allison and Assembly’s head of quality, Claire Wallace, who placed third in the World Barista Championship 2023. It marries the artistry of Woven’s whisky blending techniques with Assembly’s meticulous coffee roasting and sourcing philosophy. The product combines a blend of whiskies, leaning on fruit forward Speyside malts, and a grain whisky that pairs beautifully with Assembly’s single-origin El Vergel Guava Banana, which has bright notes of pineapple and strawberry. Cold-brewed and balanced, the coffee infuses the whisky with a juicy, tropical depth, resulting in a liquid which is equally at home in a cocktail or served neat, or adds a special touch to an old fashioned or espresso martini. It’s £40 a bottle and you can buy one on the Woven website.

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