A DRINKS company with more than a county flavour has received two prestigious awards for its newly released whisky liqueur.

The Cairns Scotch Whisky Liqueur was named Best Fruit Liqueur in Scotland at the World Liqueur Awards and received a gold medal from the Scottish Retail Food and Drinks Awards last month.

The award-winning whisky liqueur, which combines blended malt whisky, elderberries and Highland heather honey, has been sold across the UK, Europe and Australia.

George Cairns, of Prestonpans, established The Cairns Exclusive Drinks Co Ltd in October 2019, and launched the popular fruit whisky liqueur in March last year, just as the country entered the first national lockdown.

George Cairns, Cairns Exclusive Drinks Company Managing Director, awarded two prestigious drinks awards

George Cairns, Cairns Exclusive Drinks Company Managing Director, awarded two prestigious drinks awards

He began his career in 1977 as a coppersmith apprentice at McMillan of Prestonpans, creating whisky distillery equipment, before progressing into a career in education on the subject.

George explained that his inspiration came from his experience working on whisky and Scottish products.

He said: “As a young man, I spent a lot of time in whisky distilleries and bottling plants – it was a long-held dream to get involved in product development and sales.

“This product took a long time to bring to the market due to personal circumstances and a career in teaching both at Jewel and Esk Valley College and latterly at the University of Edinburgh.”

The company plans to release Cairns Blended Whisky, Single Malt Whisky and other spirit products in the near future. Visit www.cairnsscotchwhiskyliqueur.com