product of wilderness spirits pioneers Buck & Birch. Founded in 2016, this Scottish based team of nature lovers, foragers and flavour innovators is known for creating exceptional drinks that celebrate the wonders of the wild and the incredible ingredients nature has to offer.
Led by a spirit of exploration and defying drinks industry norms, each product in their award-winning range takes inspiration from a walk in the woods… and the founders’ love of the flavourful saps, plants, barks and berries that lie within. Only natural ingredients and sustainable, traditional extraction techniques are used to gently refine their products, to give an authentic ‘taste of the wild’ in every bottle.
BIRCH Vodka is smooth, delicious and unlike anything else on the market. Its star ingredient is Scottish birch sap – a luxuriously light and silky natural ingredient, which is harvested annually each spring from trees within one of Buck & Birch’s partner community forests in Scotland.
This precious sap is married with pure spirit, then infused with a complex tincture of birch botanicals, giving the vodka its delicate yet distinctive botanical flavour. A preserved wild Birch twig is the final addition, adding a touch of woodland seasoning and a visual representation of this most elegant of trees.
NATURAL, SUSTAINABLE, WILDLY DIFFERENT: ALL ABOUT BIRCH
The birch tree is a revered symbol in Scottish folklore, embodying renewal, purification, and protection. Renowned for its resilience in Scotland’s terrain, it symbolizes a deep connection to the nation’s traditions, heritage and spirit. The Buck & Birch team has developed a deep knowledge and respect for the birch tree and the sap it produces. They collaborate with community forests across Scotland to ensure low-impact, seasonable and sustainable sap harvesting, to support the Scottish forests they love and rely on. Through long -term partnerships with crofters, forest managers and land owners, Buck & Birch contributes to the preservation of these very special wild landscapes.
SIGNATURE SERVES
NEAT
Serve BIRCH Vodka straight from the freezer in a frozen shot glass
BIRCH FOREST MARTINI
Stir 100ml of BIRCH Vodka, 20ml of vermouth and ice in a shaker. Strain into a martini glass.
BIRCH & TONIC
Add 50ml of BIRCH Vodka to a highball glass over ice. Top with light tonic and a citrus garnish.
ABOUT BUCK & BIRCH
Buck & Birch was founded in 2016 by Scottish entrepreneurs Tom Chisholm and Rupert Waites. They met working in Scotland’s hospitality scene and share a deep bond created back in their respective childhoods growing up in nature, surrounded by exhilarating wilderness landscapes.
Tom was raised in rural Norway, spending many a happy hour in the forests, picking blueberries, climbing trees – and scaring away the occasional elk from his vegetable patch. He moved to Scotland where he went on to study fine art, before working in the hospitality trade as a barman and waiter.
Rupert had a nomadic upbringing in Scotland’s Highlands and Islands, immersed in nature like Tom, and with a fascination for wild ingredients and flavours. At the age of 14 he got his first job in a professional kitchen before moving to Edinburgh where he rose to become an award-winning head chef at one of the city’s busiest restaurants. He did however retain his obsession with filling jars, bottles and cupboards at home full of wild pickles, ferments, wines and cordials!
After meeting through work and discovering their shared love of flavour, foraging and nature, Tom and Rupert began hosting pioneering pop-up dining events in the 2000’s, with a focus on wild and foraged Scottish ingredients. This experiment grew into a successful full-time business, with the pair hosting hundreds of guests and food collaborations over the years.
In 2016, they formed Buck & Birch to bottle and sell one of the most in-demand concoctions from their events: Aelder wild elderberry liqueur. An initial run of just 200 bottles quickly sold out and sparked the creation of the ever-evolving range of wilderness spirits for which Buck & Birch is known – now seen on the shelves and menus of some of the best-known bars and retailers in the UK. Today Tom is Buck & Birch’s Creative Director, in charge of liquid and brand development; and Rupert is the company’s Production Director, Master Distiller, chief forager and wild flavour guru.
Website www.buckandbirch.com / Instagram @buckandbirch