I made my own gin Edinburgh’s newest distillery - and learned so much

In my work I’ve been fortunate to visit a lot of distilleries - from previously closed or lost gems which have reopened to modern day feats of engineering. The most recent of these is Edinburgh Gin, which finally opened its brand new shiny distillery, located within the arches on East Market Street at the end of last year. The distillery is the latest chapter in the story of this business, which was founded in 2010 by Alex and Jane Nicol and, during the gin boom, was bought by Ian MacLeod Distillers in 2016. The brand went on to expand its product portfolio and this new distillery replaces the one at Rutland Place and The Biscuit Factory in Leith.

As with most distilleries, the Edinburgh Gin has a range of tours but is also home to a number of experiences including a gin and chocolate tasting, a classic tour and tasting and a newly launched aroma alchemy experience. You can also book a three and a half hour gin making experience, which is what I, and my cousin, went along to one Saturday afternoon in April.

The shiny new stills at the Edinburgh Gin distillery | Rosalind Erskine

The experience starts with a welcome G&T drink in the bar, which overlooks the still room and the shiny new gin stills. The three drinks are grouped by flavour - umami and floral; bitter and spice and citrus and fruit - to give you an idea of what you might like to create in your own gin. I went for the umami and spice drink, which was fino sherry, Edinburgh Gin Seaside served with elderflower, olive brine and Mediterranean tonic water while my cousin chose the citrus and fruit G&T which consisted of Edinburgh Gin Rhubarb and Ginger, Aperol, raspberry and rhubarb tonic and a lime wedge.

Rosalind Erskine

After savouring our drinks - mine a delicious mix of savoury, salty with some sweetness - we started the tour of the site with our lovely guide Lucy. The tour began with a short film about Edinburgh’s history and connections with gin and all the components associated with it. You’ll learn about Scotland’s love of gin and how three Edinburgh men helped bring about the gin and tonic we know today. From Scottish physician George Cleghorn who brought the early version of quinine to gin, as a precursor to gin and tonic, James Lind who found that citrus cured scurvy and finally Lachlan Rose inventor of Rose’s Lime Cordial. Having heard of Lind and Lime gin, and the famous lime cordial I had no idea these all could trace their roots back to Edinburgh.

The botanical displays at the Edinburgh Gin distillery | Rosalind Erskine

From the film room, we made our way to a surrealist, colourful area where botanicals are showcased on pill-like shelves and stands, before heading into the still room to see the new stills and find out a bit more how Edinburgh Gin is made (and why one still is named after a dog).

From the still room we headed back upstairs to the blending room, where we’d spend the next couple of hours exploring all the different types of botanicals available at Edinburgh Gin and making our own spirit.

Firstly, distiller Jamie and Lucy talked us through all the botanicals, which were grouped by category such as citrus, floral and spice. Our macerate, which is the base spirit plus the core botanicals of juniper, coriander, angelica, orris root and liquorice root were ready in kilner jars as these have to steep for 24 hours before distillation. It was then up to us to add our chosen extra botanicals (up to six) from the multiple little pots which included everything from sweet orange to caraway seeds, rosehips, pink peppercorns, grains of paradise (no I had no idea what these were either) and pine buds.

Some of the botanicals at the Edinburgh Gin make your own experience. | Rosalind Erskine

After smelling each and discussing different flavour combinations, I went for a floral and spicy mix of ginger root, black caramom, lapsang souchong tea, grains of paradise (turns out these give a nice mouthfeel), lavender and sweet orange - a kind of riff on a London Fog. Once we’d measured the, often tiny, amounts of botanicals and decanted either into a teabag for vapour infusion or into the kilner jar maceration, the distillation could start.

After pouring our spirit and botanicals into the tiny copper stills (and hanging the teabag in the vapour infusion chamber) the stills were switched on and we waited to try out gin. This is when Lucy took us through a tasting of some of the most popular Edinburgh gins, including the original, seaside gin, cannonball navy strength, rhubarb and ginger gin and their raspberry liqueur. These were tried neat and with complementary tonics. We also snacked on a delicious charcuterie plate of cheese, meats and crackers.

The tiny gin stills at Edinburgh Gin | Rosalind Erskine

Before long our gins were ready to be bottled, labelled and wax sealed. I decided to call mine Edinburgh Haar, a nod to the London Fog inspiration of the botanicals. With a professionally printed label, hand dipped (only slightly wonky) wax seal, and the gins boxed up we were ready to head home but not before trying our gin with a preferred tonic. Mine was subtly floral with a kick of spice while my cousin’s was sweet and very floral thanks to her chosen botanicals that included bee pollen.

Our gins which we made at Edinburgh Gin | Rosalind Erskine

The Edinburgh Gin making experience was a brilliantly informative and fun way to spend an afternoon, all while finding out more about this brand that’s come to stand for modern-day gin making in the capital. The staff were excellent, as is the whole distillery experience and I am looking forward to enjoying my Edinburgh Haar gin again, with a tonic on a (hopefully) sunny day soon.

The Edinburgh Gin Making Experience is priced at £140 per person for a total of eight people per group all of whom need to be 18 or over. It lasts 3.5 hours and can be booked online at the Edinburgh Gin distillery website.