A visit to Edinburgh Gin
For 10 years, Edinburgh Gin has been distilling a range of craft gins. As their name suggests, this dynamic range of small-batch gins reflects the true characther of Edinburgh, a city with a history of producing, importing and exporting gin that dates back to the first gin ‘craze’ of the 1700s.
As it’s ranked by Tripadvisor as one of the top days out around Edinburgh, I was particularly excited to take part in the Edinburgh Gin distillery tour, at their very central premises at the west end of Princes Street.
I was very fortunate to meet David Wilkinson, Head Distiller of Edinburgh Gin, whilst tasting some of the lovely Edinburgh Seaside Gin (served with thyme and orange) that was made in collaboration with students of Heriot Watt, using botanicals foraged from the east coast.
They say it’s “Inspired by East Coast beaches near Edinburgh, a unique London Dry style gin defined by juniper, soft salinity and sweet notes.” I have no doubt that I can taste the seaside in this glass!
Their other gins are the Classic London dry Edinburgh Gin and the punchy, navy strength Canonball Gin. (Definitely on my list for trying another day!)
The tour took us through the history of gin, from the arrival of Genever to Mother’s Ruin, to the present day, so for those who are new to gin, it’s great background and a real eye-opener!
We got to look around the distillery, see the beautiful copper stills in action, nosey around the botanicals and learn about the distillation process.
Finally we were served a glass of the original Edinburgh Gin. A unique blend of thirteen botanicals includes lavender, pine buds, mulberries and cobnuts. Lemongrass and lime peel make this a refreshing and citrusy drink.
We highly recommend the tour for gin-lovers and newbies alike. The day we went there were Swedes, Canadians and Americans on the tour and they were pretty blown away by the explosion of the Scottish Gin market, and were delighted to get a real taste of Edinburgh.
Alison Higgins, Brand Ambassador, The Scottish Gin Society
Find out about Edinburgh Gin tours here
