We’ve been keeping bees at the farm since we realised the only way we could source local bee pollen for our Aberdeenshire Foraged Gin was to get on and do it ourselves. At this time of year we have to keep an eye on the bees, make sure their happy and healthy. One of the hives had lost its queen and so we had to bring in our latest employee, Queen Elizabuzz. She arrived in the post with a few buddies and is settling in well now, she’s a Buckfast bee so we’ll put a wee saucer of tonic wine out for her to make her feel at home.

We’ll keep an eye on the hive to make sure everything goes well and the bees have enough of a chance to prepare for winter which comes around quickly up here. It’s unlikely we’ll take pollen from this hive again this year as the bees use it to make bee bread, a food source for them.
The bees are our best foragers, bringing in pollen from all around the farm, fields and forest around us. A little bit of what they gather is used to make our Aberdeenshire Foraged Gin. It goes in with the steep overnight and is distilled with the other botanicals, providing sweet, honey like floral notes to the gin and is part of creating a real taste of Aberdeenshire.

Bees by mail, the postie wasn’t even surprised. Pretty common occurance apparently.

Queen Elizabuzz with her beejazzle settling into her new home.