Lussa Gin
Last updated 16 May 2026
Made on the Isle of Jura by three friends who forage their botanicals from the island's coasts, gardens, and moorland. Lussa is as hands-on as Scottish gin gets — the team picks wild botanicals by hand and distils in small batches using a bespoke copper still. The connection to Jura is genuine and visible in the finished product. Available on the island, at selected Scottish retailers, and by mail order. One of the most authentic 'island' gins in Scotland.
Lussa is one of the most properly small-batch Scottish gins — three women, one Jura farm, fifteen wild-foraged botanicals. The wild-herb complexity is the point: this is a gin where you can actually taste the place it came from. £38 is fair for genuinely distinctive provenance, and the brand story is the kind of thing that sells the bottle as a gift. Best for people who care about who makes their drink.
Tasting notes
Bright, coastal, and herbaceous. The sea lettuce gives a marine quality without being heavy, and the ground elder adds a fresh green note. Distinctly island gin.
- Nose
- Wild herbs, juniper, distant sea breeze
- Palate
- Layered green herbs, floral mid-palate, gentle juniper
- Finish
- Long, herbal, with a faint maritime note
Flavour profile
- juniper3/5
- citrus2/5
- floral3/5
- herbal5/5
- spice1/5
- sweet2/5
Botanicals
Fifteen hand-picked Jura wild botanicals — including bog myrtle, sea lettuce, and wild watermint, all foraged on the island
How it’s made
- Production
- Lussa is made by three women on the Isle of Jura, hand-foraging fifteen botanicals from the wild island landscape and distilling them in a small copper still on a working farm at Ardlussa. Almost everything except the juniper is wild and local — a properly small-batch operation.
- Still type
- Small copper pot still
- Base spirit
- Neutral grain spirit
Perfect serve
Mediterranean tonic, fresh thyme sprig, copa.
- Tonic
- Mediterranean tonic
- Garnish
- A sprig of fresh thyme
- Ratio
- 1:3
- Ice
- Plenty of ice — herbal complexity holds up to dilution.
The herbal complexity rewards a careful serve — Mediterranean tonic doesn't drown the wild botanicals the way Indian tonic can.
Cocktails to make with Lussa Gin
Lussa Garden Martini
Coupe
- 60ml Lussa
- 5ml dry vermouth
- Sprig of thyme
Stir gin and vermouth with ice for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe. Drop a thyme sprig in.
Food pairings
The herbal complexity pairs with rustic, herb-led Scottish cooking.
- Wild Scottish venison
- Goat's cheese with herbs
- Roast lamb with rosemary
- Smoked trout
Where to buy
Frequently asked questions
+Where is Lussa Gin made?
On the Isle of Jura at Ardlussa — a working farm where three women hand-forage and distil the gin.
+How many botanicals does Lussa use?
Fifteen — including bog myrtle, sea lettuce, wild watermint, lemon thyme, honeysuckle, and elderflower. Almost everything except the juniper is foraged from Jura itself.
+Can you visit the distillery?
Lussa is made on a working farm rather than a public distillery. Occasional visitor days are announced via the brand website.
+How does Lussa compare to The Botanist?
Both Hebridean wild-foraging gins. The Botanist (Islay, 22 botanicals) is bigger and more juniper-led. Lussa (Jura, 15 botanicals) is more herbal and small-scale. Different islands, different personalities.
+Where can I buy Lussa?
Lussa direct (lussagin.com), Master of Malt, The Whisky Exchange. Not in supermarkets.
Compare with similar gins
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.
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.
Plan your distillery visit
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