Gin Round-up: Mary King’s Close, Rock Rose, NTS, and more

Peter Ranscombe distills the latest stories from the world of gin into a light-hearted round-up.

YOU might have thought that some of the botanicals that end up in gin are a wee bit scary – but wait until you visit The Real Mary King’s Close in Edinburgh.

The ghoulish tourist attraction beneath the streets of the Old Town has teamed up with Edinburgh Gin to run special “Stories and Wonders” gin tasting tours during July.

Visitors will sample four spirits from Edinburgh Gin’s range, each with an historical link to Edinburgh’s medieval Old Town, the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh Castle’s one o’clock gun, and the port of Leith.

Distillery supervisor Jennifer Houston said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for us to share and compare our love for history and storytelling with the team and guests of The Real Mary King’s Close, along-side being able to share our passion for showcasing our range of creative gins and gin liqueurs.”

Graduate trainee creates bottle for Rock Rose’s core range

Never mind making the coffee and doing the filing – distiller Martin Murray has put graduate trainee Craig Chambers straight to work at Dunnet Bay Distillers.

Chambers, 23, has created a smoked orange-flavoured Rock Rose gin.

The intital run has gone on sale, with the gin due to join the company’s core range later in the year.

Murray said: “Craig has done a great job since he came in as a distiller and this gin is a cracker.”

A toast to the Tasmanian pepperberry

The National Trust for Scotland is toasting the launch of its Inverewe Garden gin – made with botanicals gathered from the Wester Ross site.

The gin was made by Badachro Distillery, which is based just 13 miles from Inverewe, and which was founded five years ago by Gordon and Vanessa Quinn.

Botanicals in the spirit include “Tasmanian pepperberry”, which was brought to Scotland by the garden’s founder, Osgood Mackenzie.

Mackenzie described the pepperberry as having “sweet-scented leaves, and a quaint and beautiful inflorescence” – now there’s a tasting note for you.

Eight Lands spreads across the land

Expect to see more of Eight Lands’ gin and vodka on the shelves after maker Glenrinnes distillery signed a distribution deal with Highball Brands.

The Speyside distillery, which opened on the Locke family’s estate in 2019, has focused on white spirits instead of whisky.

Alex Christou, founder of Eight Lands, said: “We are really proud of what we have accomplished so far as a young brand, particularly against the backdrop of the pandemic.

“I am delighted to take this to the next level with Fabrice Limon and the team at Highball as they work to supercharge our growth in the UK.”

Read more news and reviews on Scottish Field’s food and drink pages.

Plus, check out Blair Bowman’s whisky column in the August issue of Scottish Field magazine.