SELKIRK’S first ever ‘legal’ distillery was officially opened on Saturday.

Selkirk Distillers have been creating their own gins for just over 18 months – borrowing the equipment and expertise of friends at Strathearn Distillery in Perthshire.

But following a crowd-funding campaign the two couples behind the venture moved into a renovated workshop on the Philiphaugh estate earlier this spring.

Allan and Jane Walker along with friends David and Susan Myatt have been producing their hugely popular Reiver’s and Bannock gins at the distillery over the past few weeks.

And on Saturday they held a grand opening party with Philiphaugh estate owner Sir Michael Strang Steel cutting the ribbon.

Mr Myatt believes the Selkirk distillery will go from strength to strength.

He said: “There have been a lot of ups and downs getting to this stage but we are here now and we all feel the future of Selkirk Distillers is bright.

“We are really happy with our new home and we plan to gradually step up operations.

“We are extremely grateful to the people at Strathearn who have helped us enormously but now we are working closer to home we’ll be able to meet demand for our products a lot easier.

“All of our gins and rums sell out almost as quickly as we have been making them.

“By having our own distillery we can increase production much easier and react to demand a lot quicker.”

The renovated estate building dates back to the 1700s, originally powered by a water wheel, and operating most recently as a plastics factory until a fire five or six years ago.

Since moving into Philiphaugh in April, Selkirk Distillers have been producing around 200 litres of their ever-popular Reiver’s and Bannock gins each week.

And they have also branched into rums infused with hemp oil.

Selkirk Distillers gins and rums are now sold in outlets stemming from Portree on the Isle of Skye all the way down to Holy Island.

The Walkers and Myatts also sell their produce at food fayres and farmers’ markets all across the South of Scotland.

Mr Myatt added: “The number of outlets who stock Reiver’s and Bannock increases every few weeks, and we hope to keep expanding to new areas

“Stobo Castle spa told us that a cocktail they created using Bannock Gin is among their most popular drinks.

“We produced our very first batch of gin in September, 2017 and here we are today with our very own distillery.”