A spirit of ADVENTURE

There has been an explosion in craft distilling in the UK, and women are often at the heart of it

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Great gin

Former nurse Kecia McDougall, 57, is director and distiller at Tayport Distillery in Fife, which produces an award-winning range of spirits including eau de vie, vodka and gin.

I have always loved experimenting with distilling at home. I come from Ohio, where there is a big craft distilling movement.

When I left the NHS, I took my idea of launching a distillery to Business Gateway Fife, which supports businesses on behalf of the council. They gave me some funding and I educated myself through books and podcasts.

I also did a course at the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, and we launched in 2017.

First, I did everything myself, including all the mashing and fermenting, but we have since upgraded our equipment, which has helped. My first product was raspberry eau de vie, a clear fruit brandy. It's a quirky product and must be tasted to be appreciated, so when COVID hit and tasting events were impossible, we had to change direction.

We launched a gin, a vodka and two cassis-style liqueurs, raspberry and blackcurrant, which are delicious in fizz.