A Scottish distillery has hailed an online sales increase of 250% over the past year, following a series of virtual drinks experiences.

Stirling Distillery’s tour, shop and gin school were all temporarily closed last March and founders June and Cameron McCann moved to create a virtual drinks package, a virtual distillery tour and offer live Zoom tastings for those who wanted a way of connecting with friends, family or colleagues.

The distillery has also launched three new products over the past year, including Stirling Pink Gin, Sons of Scotland whisky range and Tropical Triumph liqueur.

The firm said: “Steeped in local history, these products have all contributed to the steep rise in online orders.”

The family run business has hailed “great success” with its tastings, hosting over 45 in December alone and on one day it hosted nine tastings.

It added: “Those taking part include friends, colleagues or family members wanting to meeting up virtually to share a drink, companies wanting to host clients, and even virtual hen parties.

“Customers have spanned the globe, including Australia, Singapore, the US and countries across Europe.”

Over the past year it has also established partnerships with various online retailers including Masters of Malt, The Sample Guys, Craft 56, Drop24 and the Craft Bottle Shop.

It has also partnered with local companies to provide traditional Scottish products including glasses by Angle Share, as well as creating bespoke seasonal bundles.

The distillery recently announced its annual whisky and gin festival will be going ahead in the autumn. Run by its events company Stirling Spirit Co., these popular festivals had to be cancelled in 2020 but “will cap off a successful year for Stirling Distillery”.

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