Edinburgh gin has expanded its production base by turning a disused space that formerly housed a biscuit factory, into a second distillery.
The company are bringing distilling back to Scotland's historic gin port, Leith, which once boasted a thriving gin industry renowned for influencing the development of the world famous aromatic gin style known as London Dry.
Head Distiller David Wilkinson. Picture: Lux
The distillery's expansion has been spurned on by the fact that Edinburgh consumes more gin per head of population than any other city in the UK, while rising global demand for the Scottish spirit has also played a part.
Edinburgh Gin has also signed new distribution deals in Europe, Scandinavia and North America for their core range.
The UK is already the biggest gin exporter in the world- and 70 per cent of it is produced in Scotland, in total worth £1.76 billion to the UK economy.
The Edinburgh Gin Distillery, at the Biscuit Factory, will produce the core range of gin - Original, Cannonball and the newly- added Seaside Gin, launched in time for summer 2016. Seaside Gin (43% ABV) now joins Edinburgh Gin Original (43% ABV) and Navy Strength Cannonball (57% ABV) as part of the distiller’s core range.
Production is led by Head Distiller, David Wilkinson as part of the long-standing partnership with Heriot-Watt University’s MSc in Brewing & Distilling course which seeks to push boundaries, bringing the science of distilling to the fore.
Co-Founder of Edinburgh Gin, Alex 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 closed its doors in Edinburgh over 30 years ago, and ensure the legacy lives on.
"Leith is undoubtedly experiencing its own kind of renaissance, as is gin. We have transformed part of the former United Biscuit’s factory into our second distillery, in response to the international spirit revival.
"This expansion will more than quadruple our production capacity, with the new distillery producing enough spirit to make over 2.5million G&T's per year. We also have the opportunity to expand further by adding another still.
"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.”
