Gin
Edinburgh Gin launches 2.5m G&T distillery
Those in the city of Edinburgh consume more gin per head of the population than any other UK city, fuelled by the demand for Scottish-made spirits, according to the firm which was co-founded by Alex Nicol.
The distiller will produce a range of gins including its Original (ABV 43%), Cannonball (ABV 57%) and the recent addition Seaside Gin (ABV 43%).
Production will be led by head distiller David Wilkinson, who has been working in partnership with Heriot-Watt University’s MSc in Brewing and Distilling course. The course was developed to draw attention to the science of distilling.
‘Iconic gin port’
Edinburgh Gin in facts:
- 22 members of staff
- Launched in 2010 by parent company Spencerfield Spirit Company
- Named Scotland’s fastest growing gin brand 2015 by Nielsen Scantrack
Nicol said: “Leith is steeped in history as an iconic gin port and was the centre of a home-grown spirits industry.
“It made perfect sense to carry on that tradition since Melrose Drover [a former spirits company] closed its doors in Edinburgh over 30 years ago, and ensure the legacy lives on.”
The expansion will quadruple the company’s production capacity and there will be space to add a further still in the future, he added.
“It’s an exciting time for Edinburgh Gin, as we continue to craft the modern-day gin renaissance from Scotland’s capital. With the science and art of distilling at our core, we are energised that the spirit of Leith lives on at our new Biscuit Factory Distillery.”
Gin writer and educator
Meanwhile, Edinburgh Gin’s Seaside liquor was cited by gin writer and educator David T Smith as a trend-setter at the recent Gin Guild Ginposium in London’s Covent Garden.
According to Smith, gin terroir would become more and more popular in the future as consumers become more discerning about the locality of their food and drink.
Edinburgh Gins’ Seaside Gin, for instance, tapped into a particular location, which is trend more distillers are expected to look to in the future and something pubs could capitalise on.
He told the Publican’s Morning Advertiser in an exclusive podcast: “Just in the same way that pubs serve locally-grown food from butchers and grocers, then selling gin and spirits from local distilliers can have the same caché and certainly a lot of these gins that use some terroir are embracing flavours that locals will know.”
