Jaunty Camper, newcomer to thriving gin scene in Lanarkshire.
Founded by Yva McKerlich, who moved from gin enthusiast to gin producer in a matter of weeks.
Having shipped out the first batch one bottles in August of 2021, it has been a whirlwind adventure for Yva, with the expert guidance of friend and distilling mentor Colin McLean of Mclean’s Gin.
The Jaunty Camper brand focuses on the vehicle that Yva refers to as ‘the love of her life’ – Jasmine, the 1972 VW T2 campervan who is the ‘face’ of the brand with the design of the label placing a watercolour sketch of Jasmine front and centre. Yva wanted to embrace the talents of her local area when she took her gin recipe to a wider stage and having secured a gin mentor in Colin, she turned to the design talents of local artist Christine Allan who had first sketched Jasmine during lockdown as a colouring resource for local children. Christine brought another local talent, artist and designer Anne Anderson, into the team and the design for the bottle label and subsequent product branding came to life in their creative hands.
Locally distilled and hand-bottled in Lanarkshire.
The gin itself is locally distilled in Lanarkshire and hand bottled, but the botanicals which make up the Jaunty Camper recipe were chosen for their taste and their contribution to the gin’s story – each botanical represents an aspect of travel and adventure in Jasmine with the coastal seaweed referencing back to Yva’s origins and to many childhood holidays taken by the sea while the black cardamom brings a campfire’s smoky depth to the flavour profile.
Best sipped in a campervan
Yva created the recipe back in free wandering times and claims that, in addition to being perfectly served with a basil garnish, it is best enjoyed from an enamel mug, paired with some artisan dark chocolate and – if you are lucky enough to have access to one – sipped in the back of a classic campervan! The Jaunty Camper brand is happy to provide most of those ingredients but, having closed the doors of her hire business this year, Yva says that you will have to provide the campervan yourselves!