Avva Scottish Gin
Last updated 16 May 2026
A small-batch Aberdeenshire gin that uses silver birch sap from the local woodland as one of its key botanicals. The birch gives a subtle, slightly sweet woody character that's different from the maritime or heather notes you find in most Scottish gins. Produced by a husband-and-wife team, which keeps the batches small and the quality consistent. Available from specialist retailers in the north-east and online.
Avva is a properly Highland gin — heather and pine sit clearly in the glass alongside a confident juniper backbone. Less hyped than Rock Rose or The Botanist but consistently good and a nice middle-ground between contemporary and London Dry styles. £30-36 is fair money for a gin that genuinely tastes of the Highlands.
Tasting notes
Aromatic and slightly sweet, with the silver birch adding a delicate woody note. Well-crafted small-batch gin from the north-east.
- Nose
- Pine, heather, fresh juniper, faint citrus
- Palate
- Big juniper, herbal pine, soft heather sweetness
- Finish
- Dry, herbal, with a lingering pine note
Flavour profile
- juniper4/5
- citrus2/5
- floral3/5
- herbal4/5
- spice1/5
- sweet1/5
Botanicals
Highland-foraged signatures — heather, bog myrtle, and pine — alongside classic London Dry botanicals
How it’s made
- Production
- Distilled at Cawdor in the Highlands using locally-foraged heather, bog myrtle and pine alongside classic botanicals. Small-batch single-still production.
- Still type
- Small copper pot still
- Base spirit
- Neutral grain spirit
Perfect serve
Indian tonic, heather or rosemary sprig, heavy tumbler.
- Tonic
- Indian tonic
- Garnish
- Sprig of heather (when in season) or rosemary
- Ratio
- 1:3
- Ice
- Big cubes — the gin holds up to dilution.
Indian tonic balances the herbal complexity. Heather garnish is on-brand and tastes good — rosemary works year-round.
Cocktails to make with Avva Scottish Gin
Highland Negroni
Rocks
- 25ml Avva
- 25ml Campari
- 25ml sweet vermouth
- Orange peel
Stir all ingredients with ice for 30 seconds. Strain over a large ice cube. Express orange oil over the surface.
Food pairings
The pine and heather pair brilliantly with game and other rustic Scottish dishes.
- Roast venison
- Smoked trout
- Sharp cheddar
- Game pie
Where to buy
Frequently asked questions
+Where is Avva Scottish Gin made?
At Cawdor in the Highlands — a small-batch single-still operation using locally-foraged heather, bog myrtle and pine.
+What does Avva taste like?
Pine and heather over a big juniper backbone. Properly Highland in profile — closer to Rock Rose than to softer contemporaries.
+Where can I buy Avva?
Master of Malt, The Whisky Exchange. Not generally in supermarkets.
+How does it compare to Rock Rose?
Both are properly Highland gins with foraged botanicals. Rock Rose (Caithness) is rhodiola-led. Avva (Cawdor) is pine-and-heather-led. Different forager pantries, both worth knowing.
Compare with similar gins
Rock Rose
contemporary · highland
Distilled at Dunnet Bay in Caithness, just down the road from John o'Groats. Rock Rose uses local botanicals including rhodiola rosea — the wildflower that gives the gin its name and a distinctive earthy character.
Kirkjuvagr Orkney Gin
contemporary · islands
Orkney's first dedicated gin distillery, on the harbour in Kirkwall. Kirkjuvagr (the Old Norse name for Kirkwall, pronounced 'kirk-you-vaar') uses Scapa Flow seaweed as a signature botanical alongside Orcadian angelica and burnet rose.
The Botanist
contemporary · islay
Made at the Bruichladdich whisky distillery on Islay, distilled with 22 hand-foraged Islay botanicals on top of nine classics. Run through the same 'Ugly Betty' Lomond still that's now spent more time making gin than the whisky it was originally built for.
Plan your distillery visit
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