Toast to Lord Horne of Stirkoke with launch of new Puldagon Gin
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The family behind the Puldagon Farm Shop and Restaurant have had their own gin launched as a tribute to Lord Horne of Stirkoke, who was a very distinguished WW1 veteran.
The Spirit of Stirkoke – Puldagon Gin has been produced by North Point Distillery, Forss, and is now on sale at the popular local restaurant.
Lord Horne was a friend of David Steven, the great-grandfather of Gregory Hooker, who runs Puldagon. Mr Steven, who was the first pipe major for the Wick Pipe Band, stayed in a cottage at Old Stirkoke along with his wife Margaret (Meg) and nine children.
He got on well with Lord Horne, playing the pipes for him and acting as a ghillie which led to them becoming great friends and Mr Steven was granted a tenancy for the land at Puldagon in 1925 which has been handed down through the generations ever since. The property has meant a great deal to the family over the years, holding many memories.
On the day Lord Horne died – Wednesday, August 14, 1929 – he was out shooting on the moors at his Stirkoke estate which adjoins Puldagon. He was accompanied with Mr Steven and two friends – Colonel Powell and Captain John Horne (his nephew) – when he suffered a fatal heart attack.
As the story in the family goes, Mr Steven went back to his farm, took the barn door off and used it to carry Lord Horne to the steading at Puldagon until he was able to be taken to Stirkoke House. The barn door was from the building now housing the farm shop.
The scenes at the funeral were said to be unprecedented in Wick – people lined the streets in dense throngs on the route to the cemetery.
While Gregory and his family were reminiscing recently they thought about having a gin created to honour the Puldagon connection with Lord Horne and Stirkoke. They got in touch with North Point Distillery to see if it would be possible to make the a gin using botanicals found around the property.
Spirit of Stirkoke is a tribute not only to the WW1 general, but a toast to all in the close network around Puldagon –family, friends and neighbours who have shown an abundance of generosity.
The label reads: "In memory of Lord Horne a respected landlord and WW1 hero who in 1925 granted our family with tenancy and opportunity here at Puldagon.
"Using botanicals hand-picked from our farm we have created this gin to allow us, our family and our neighbours generosity of spirit – the Spirit of Stirkoke – to live on."
It is hoped that North Point Distillery will be able to enter the new gin, which is 40 per cent alcohol, into competitions. Around 240 bottles were made in the first batch and are available at the farm shop.
The gin has rosebay willowherb, yellow gorse, nettles, rose petals, Scots pine, giving it a herbal-fruit character, with dried dandelion root and cassia adding a sweet spice providing warm citrus notes.
Since opening in August 2019 the Puldagon Restaurant and Farm Shop has proved very popular and was recently listed on Scotland's Route 66 Facebook page as a highly recommended place to go for 2022.
