Raising a glass to Glamis Castle's 650th anniversary

Helen Buchanan, castle general manager, and Kim Cameron from The Gin Bothy with one of the 650 bottles of anniversary gin.

And, in a special tribute for Mother’s Day at the weekend, a cocktail that was enjoyed by HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother when visiting the castle was recreated.

As her childhood home, The Queen Mother visited Glamis Castle many times during her life and spent many holidays there with her own family, including HM The Queen.

To celebrate the launch of the Glamis Castle 650th Anniversary Small Batch Gin, the castle decided to honour The Queen Mother and her ancestral connection to Glamis by recreating the Gin Dubonnet cocktail, famously enjoyed by the Queen Mother and The Queen, using the anniversary gin.

This is the latest in a trio of celebrations to mark 650 years since the Thanage of Glamis was granted by King Robert II to Sir John Lyon for services to the Crown. Other celebrations include the launch of the Children of Glamis Exhibition and ‘A Glamis Treasury’, a commemorative book.

The gin, created in collaboration with local gin distillers, The Gin Bothy, is a bespoke handcrafted gin using natural botanical ingredients sourced in the castle’s Walled Garden including juniper, chestnut, rosemary, cicely and verbena. The gin also features grapes harvested from the gardens. Just 650 bottles have been made.

Kim Cameron, Gin Bothy founder, researched the way the Queen Mother liked to enjoy Gin and Dubonnet, Kim said: “It really is quite a simple cocktail. First a measure of gin, then a double measure of Dubonnet and three ice cubes. The Queen Mother always insisted on three ice cubes for the perfect consistency and temperature. It’s lovely to be able to make this drink in tribute to the Queen Mother and also with this very special gin which has natural botanical ingredients sourced from the Glamis estate.”

Helen Buchanan, castle general manager, added: “It is wonderful to have been able to recreate a bespoke, hand batched gin with a local producer from Angus. Our anniversary gin features many ingredients grown in the gardens and we are delighted to be able to celebrate our 650th anniversary with the public.”

Glamis Castle will now be open to visitors until October 31, and Friends of Glamis annual passes are available giving families unlimited access for the entirety of the open season. To find out more go to: https://www.glamis-castle.co.uk/friends-of-glamis-members/

For more information about Glamis Castle and for the full event calendar visit www.glamis-castle.co.uk