The Fairytale Distillery
Quite literally, the distillery buildings look like something out of a fairytale. Overlooking one of Scotland’s most famous castles, Eilean Donan Castle, sits a collection of buildings that wouldn’t look out of place in a scene from Hansel and Gretel.
Thomas Gottwald and Manuela Kohne-Gottwald, originally from Germany, moved to Scotland in 2013 and brought a little bit of the Brothers Grimm magic with them. Manuela opened her Wee Bakery, with daughter Joline later adding her own business, Pizza Jo’s Pizza Parlour, to the site.
A few years ago Thomas, a long time gin fan, along with gin specialist Roger Knight, toyed with the idea of opening his own distillery in order to produce gins that used carefully selected traditional botanicals, but that also captured the magic of the local area. In 2019, the friends, with the help of Joline and two botanists Martin and Stefan, made the fairytale come true by opening the Fairytale Distillery. If you peek through the distillery window, you might just spot Tinkerbelle the gin still!
You could be mistaken for thinking you’ve stepped into the pages of a Brother’s Grimm Fairytale. Hidden away in the Highlands is what must be one of the UK’s most quirky and unique settings for a distillery – a village of fairytale cottages, although this isn’t a case of make believe. A stone’s throw from the world famous Eilean Donan Castle, The Fairytale Distillery produces a range of Scottish Gin expressions all lovingly crafted in the distillery. With its rusty chimneys, squint slated roof and even a cat on the roof, a nod to the Old Tom style of gin, the distillery is just one of three businesses where visitors can enjoy a bite to eat in the cafe, visit the distillery or pick up some freshly baked bread. There are also gin tasting and gin school experiences available.
The Fairytale team now has created a very wide range of Produce made to everybody's taste.
They even started making Rum and Absinth, which go's down like a treat.
Most of the Spirits have been able to win prices in several big spirit competitions around the world in the last few years, which we are very proud of!
