Meet the husband and wife team behind our August 2020 Gin of the Month!

Claire and Martin Murray, the husband and wife team behind our exclusive August 2020 Gin of the Month, Rock Rose Citrus Coastal Edition Gin, were both born amongst the wild beauty of Caithness, the coastal region of Northern Scotland to which the incredible gin in our August 2020 Gin of the Month box pays homage.

Here’s the story of how their ginny journey began!

Claire and Martin didn’t have to go far to find each other. Yet, even though they both went to the same school - along with just a few dozen other young people from their area - they didn’t really meet until fate brought them together on the very last day of high school. There was just one problem, Claire was about to set off to university in Aberdeen and Martin was going to Ediborough to study.

The distance was a challenge, but it wasn’t enough to break the bond of these two kids from Caithness. Indeed, their shared love for their home county, and a shared vision of the future they could build there, was one of the things that held them together.

After university came careers, with Martin pursuing chemical engineering and Claire working in hospitality. The couple moved around, even living and working together in France before they decided that it was time to follow their hearts and head home.

As young graduates, Claire and Martin had left Caithness to find their fortunes, but they had always intended to return home someday. Fortunately, they were able to do so – but for many of their peers, building lives in Glasgow and Aberdeen and London, returning home was an all-too-distant dream.

But what, Claire and Martin wondered if they could do something to change that? When they made their return to Caithness, it was with a clear goal in mind: they wanted to build a business that would celebrate the Highlands and provide young people with the kind of opportunities they needed to stay and create a thriving community.

With their complementary skills – Martin’s mind for equipment and chemical reactions, and Claire’s amazing ability to create unforgettable experiences – they knew they could create something special. That’s where gin came in.

Martin and Claire knew that they were from a very special part of the world – and that there were amazing flavours growing all around them. It seemed like a waste not to create something that would use – indeed, celebrate – the natural larder of the Highlands.

Back in his university days, Martin had enjoyed his classes in distillation and brewing. And Claire had seen firsthand how a thriving tourism industry could change the fate of a community. As far back as their time in France, Martin and Claire had been bandying about the idea of a distillery that would not only capture the essence of Caithness but also give gin lovers a reason to visit.

When they finally made the big move north, they started building a home right away – and, alongside it, the distillery they had long dreamed of.

While the distillery was under construction, Martin and Claire set out on a journey to craft a gin that would capture the spirit of Caithness, the special place that had drawn them back.

Learn how Claire and Martin developed there incredible recipe for Rock Rose Gin, here!