IT is traditionally known as “mother’s ruin” and was reputedly the Queen Mother’s favourite tipple.

Now gin’s resurgence in popularity has helped three entrepreneurial islanders enjoy success with their unique home brew.

Claire Fletcher, 48, Alicia MacInnes, 37, and Georgina Kitching, 41, frequently venture out into the wilds of the isle of Jura to collect ingredients for the unique Lussa Gin.

Read more: Judy Murray sets out road map for Scottish tennis as application hangs in balance

The adventurous trio board a rowing boat to harvest sea lettuce and climb trees to collect pine needles for the tipple distilled on one of most remote kitchen tables in Britain.

Now they are cashing in on gin’s comeback after their first release of 471 bottles – at £40 each – was snapped up in just 10 days. The second, newly-bottled batch is already reserved.

The entrepreneurs hit on the idea during a brain-storming session on how to create interesting new jobs for women on the island.

The gin lovers all live in the north end of Jura, a Hebridean island famously labelled “ungettable” by 1984 author George Orwell who wrote the book in his bolthole.

Mrs Fletcher, who lives at Ardlussa House, said: “There are only 200 people on the island and there is a huge lack of opportunities for women on Jura.

“There is really not much except cooking and cleaning jobs and in an area which is predominantly an alcohol industry, gin making seemed an obvious way forward.”

Read more: Judy Murray sets out road map for Scottish tennis as application hangs in balance

Rather than importing all the ingredients for the gin, which contains 15 botanicals, the friends buy the pure alcohol and add what Jura has to offer.

Local lemon thyme then gives the drink, which is distilled on Mrs Fletcher’s kitchen table, its unique flavour.

She said: “We get out our little red boat with the oars Georgina used to row for Cambridge and Ali goes armed with a fishing net to get sea lettuce, the bog myrtle in the gin comes from some quite wet muddy places and we climb trees to get pine needles, we also collect fresh lemon thyme from Jura, “These are the things that are making it different.”

They are currently involved in a regeneration programme of the island’s home grown juniper.

Jura honeysuckle, rose petals, water mint, ground elderflower, lime flowers, rosehips, lemon balm, orris and coriander are all used in the gin, along with spring water from Lussa glen.

Mrs Fletcher said: “There are only 200 people on the island, We had a tasting night in the village hall and it was really busy, everyone here is incredibly supportive.”

The first batch released last month sold like hotcakes in the Jura Hotel and community shop.

Mrs Fletcher said: “We have just bottled our second batch yesterday and it’s all reserved already. Obviously what we need to do now is to keep distilling, to get enough stock to supply the interest, because whatever we make is just going out the door.”

Read more: Judy Murray sets out road map for Scottish tennis as application hangs in balance

The women have got planning permission to upgrade their distilling operation from the 10 litre still “Little Jim” they are currently using, to a 200 litre copper still, nicknamed Hamish, which will be based in a converted stable.

For those interested in statistics, Lussa Gin is 42 per cent proof, compared to Gordon’s 37.5 per cent.

Mrs Fletcher said: “I worked for the BBC for twenty years, Georgina was a high School science teacher who went to Campbridge and Ali trained to be an architect. There are a lot of very talented women on the island and we hope we will be able to employ some of them.”

Lussa gin has an alcohol content of 42% and costs £40 a bottle.