Strontian couple Vicki Balnaves Aitken and Graeme Aitken moved there in 2020 having fallen in love with the area and have chosen it as the perfect place to raise their young family.
Vicki, an actor, and Graeme, a kitchen designer, threw themselves into community life in a variety of roles including youth work with Vicki providing drama workshops at the local school and Graeme getting stuck in as a
retained firefighter and volunteering with the group who look after paths around the community woodlands.
Inspired by the rich geology, ecology, folklore and history of the Sunart peninsula as well as the strong sense of community here and the people who call the area home Vicki and Graeme have launched The Strontian Distillery.
With a passion for the exciting and innovative Scottish Gin industry they have created four gins. Making use of local botanicals and drawing upon nature to link them to the elements of air, fire, water and earth with links to stories and the landscape of Sunart to capture and celebrate four aspects of Strontian.
Vicki told Lochaber Times: “We have been so welcomed to Strontian since we moved here in 2020.
“We came because the landscape, wilderness and area called to us, the people, sense of community and history continues to inspire and delight us.
“We want to represent the amazing elements of every aspect of this area and continue to weave our story into Strontian.”
Nose of The Fairy Hill- the translation of the Gaelic name for Strontian - is the Air Element, with notes of lavender, raspberry and hazelnut.
Fire Element Sr38 takes its name from the chemical element of Strontium, named for the village here and has fiery gloves, ginger and nutmeg to represent the red element which colours fireworks and was mined here in Strontian.
Floating Kirk, the Water Element, inspired by the floating church commissioned by the residents of Strontian in 1843 includes sugar kelp, black pepper and aniseed and celebrates the strength of character of the people of Strontian and strong connection to the water.
The Earth Element - Ariundle with wood sorrel, lemon grass and oak bark takes inspiration from the connection to the ancient oak Ariundle woodlands of Strontian.
Vicki and Graeme have a clear vision of connecting with the people and the places of Strontian and have already commissioned art work, photography and painted glassware from talented local people with further collaborations with local artists and craftspeople in the pipeline.
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