Express your inner cat
Hebridean island distillery Wild Thyme Spirits are about to launch an Old Tom style gin called Cait Sith (pronounced ‘Caught Shee’). The small batch gin is based on their award-winning Colonsay Gin, and like its sibling products, takes inspiration from a mixture of Celtic folklore and the beautiful, natural surroundings of the Isle of Colonsay, where all the brand’s spirits are produced.
Old Tom style gin was hugely popular in the 18th century, when London’s drinking scene was driven underground, and mysterious feline figures were used to draw drinkers into watering holes and gin establishments. Since then, Old Tom gin and cats have been inextricably linked.
The newly launched gin draws on this feline connection, referencing the deep, dark recesses of Celtic Mythology and the Cait Sith, a legendary spectral cat that roamed the Scottish Highlands and islands. The fairy-like creature was said to mysteriously bring with it either a blessing or a curse, depending on whether householders left it a suitable libation. The label depicts Alva, the company’s multi-talented Gruagach (pronounced ‘groo-ah-gak’) a Brownie with supernatural powers, dressed in her finest feline regalia, and expressing her inner Cait Sith.
Cait Sith is drier than a Dutch Genever, but sweeter than a London Dry, and is bottled at 40%ABV. With hints of orange, pink grapefruit and vanilla, it’s best served as a G&T with premium tonic, lots of ice, and a large slice of pink grapefruit. Alternatively, try it with lemonade or soda water as a long, cool, summer spritzer.
For more information see www.wildthymespirits.com
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