Meet the Maker: Inverroche Distillery

In spite of the stillness, it is Lorna Scott; the mastermind behind the institution that is Inverroche, who has managed to keep things lively by bringing in a large portion of tourism to her dynamic distillery.

The interior is decorated like a lavish castle that breathes Inverroche from every corner. The Inverroche range comprises three core gins, namely Amber, Classic and Verdant, which is my personal favourite along with well-aged rum and a sweet honey-like liqueur. And it is these full bottles of gin that serve as stunning decor, stacked and lined up all around the distillery.

The bar and tables are all marked with the Inverroche symbol signifying the bond between rock and water and perhaps the strength behind the name and brand itself. Delving a little deeper, we were led into the tasting room where we received VIP treatment.

We were given a bespoke two-person tasting where we were able to sample the gins and rum while exploring the different botanicals. I was fascinated as I tasted flavours I had never before imagined, making it a gorgeous sensory experience.

Inverroche obtains most of its fynbos from the biome that can be found in Stillbaai, with many flowering seasonally - careful planning and responsible farming are key.

Each staff member is passionate about the brand and their happiness is palpable. Scott is responsible for providing work to the locals and they all have equally important duties that come together to form this wonderful distillery. She also has a firm belief in the extension and spreading of knowledge; that it should not just be contained to one person. This is the driving force behind the distilling classes that allow for anyone to come in and create their very own gins. Scott teaches tastes, flavours and most importantly shares her humble beginnings of distilling on her kitchen table with one tiny still.

Scott is passionate about nature, even about regional eels that pass on their own genetic information onto their offspring as well as our own connection to our roots.

Deeply seated in the regional fynbos, this distillery would not be as it is today without it, and she embraces and appreciates that fact.
The distilling room itself contains an enormous still that relies on fire to create the beautiful flavour profiles through distillation. Even the rum is aged in barrels from seven years. Inverroche has recently released a ten-year-old rum that can be found exclusively at the distillery indicating Scott’s patience and dedication to the craft.

It’s almost improbable to consider that this distillery produces around 50,000 bottles a month, with every part of the production line being managed by hand.

With a place for everything and everything in its place, each worker has a dedicated and individually intrinsic role in the line. It begins with someone manning the filling machines, to someone who checks the gin’s clarity for any imperfections, there are hand labellers, a person in charge of the tamper seals and finally, one person to wipe the bottles down to remove any fingerprints and carefully place them into their perfect boxes

For owning such an empire, I was blown away at just how down to earth Scott was. A kind soul who was humble and willing to listen, part of her story began when she lived overseas in Scotland for a while. During their terrible weather, she missed home a great deal and decided to create a taste reminiscent of it. Thus returning to her roots, she came up with the institution that is Inverroche.

The original still sits on the bar reminding her of where she came from and for me, it stood as encouragement to never give up on your dreams.

For more info on Inverroche check out their website and if you do happen to be in the area, I would recommend booking a tasting because the experience is memorable.

To check out the full video of the distillery tour which includes an interview with Scott, you can click here.

Read the original Meet the Maker on SamSamButDifferent.