Like generations of islanders before us, we’ve more than a little wanderlust in our genes. This island will always eventually draw us home but the lure of exploring new lands is strong.
We’ve turned our travelling attentions to the USA in recent years, a place where many of our ancestors have emigrated in centuries past and to which we have no shortage of strong ties.
Last month, International Brand Development Manager Iona Cairns set out on another voyage of discovery as she landed in New York City to share more of our spirit and story.
She spent a month living in the heart of the metropolis to work alongside our distributor, Misa Imports to help spread the word about Isle of Harris Gin in this incredible city.
Iona tells us…
“I spent the majority of my time between Manhattan and Brooklyn but I did manage a couple of trips to New Jersey and also an overnight stay in Washington DC. I had the pleasure of meeting so many lovely people when I was on this trip and I am very thankful to those who helped me during my stay!”
We've also been delighted with the warm reception our gin has received since launching in the USA and to find ourselves stocked in some of the best bars and restaurants New York has to offer. She continues…
“I thoroughly enjoyed sampling Isle of Harris Gin cocktails in many of them. The Musket Rooms, The Baccarat Hotel Bar, Aquavit, Boulud Sud, Pine & Polk, and Mollusca, to name a few! A particular highlight was Pine & Polk’s speakeasy bar, ‘PS’.”
And Iona wasn’t alone in her adventures as she’d packed a special life-size cutout of our super-hero in a wetsuit Lewis Mackenzie, aka The Kelp Man.
Iona elaborates…
“We decided to take our two-dimensional seaweed diver out for his first drink in the Big Apple after all his hard work at the tasting events! There were a few confused faces on the subway as we travelled from the Upper East side to Hudson Square but he spent plenty of time at the bars with us watching everyone enjoying an Isle of Harris Gin!”
Iona is looking forward to returning to the US next month, this time she’ll be headed to the west coast before flying in for New York Tartan Week where we are participating in events throughout the week.
From Tarbert to Times Square it’s safe to say our island spirit travels well!
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