With the opportunity to bring single malt distilling back to Edinburgh after almost 100 years, we will do so with FLAVOUR at the forefront. Unconstrained by heritage, category and tradition, we will be a distinctively different
spirits company.
Our focus will be on experimentation alongside a commitment to produce high-quality, full-flavoured spirits for anyone with an open mind and an
open mouth.
Situated next to Holyrood Park, our city-centre distillery is located right in the heart of Edinburgh’s distilling history – on St. Leonard’s Lane. The 180 year old building will be thoughtfully renovated to suit our distilling needs, while making room for the visitors we look forward to welcoming. Our visitor centre will be unique: a hands-on, sensory, educational experience that will enlighten and delight people as they explore the world of flavour while touring a working distillery.
Holyrood Distillery’s home is a B-listed building which was built in 1835 as part of the Edinburgh & Dalkeith Railway (E&DR). The E&DR was known as “The Innocent Railway” and much of the original right-of-way still exists as a bike and pedestrian path, including an atmospheric 1/3-mile tunnel under Holyrood Park. The E&DR pre-dated steam locomotives and the carriages were initially pulled by horses until they reached an incline at the tunnel, after which the carriages were connected by cables to two steam engines to pull them up to the yard where our building sits as the last reminder of Edinburgh’s first railway.
Leaning upon tradition to create a classic distilled dry gin I have used the ‘spiritual trinity’ of juniper (Italian), coriander (Romanian) and angelica (French) as the spine of flavour, with top notes of fresh orange sest and fresh lemon peel (both Italian). I have add a touch of complexity with the freshest ginger root, cassia bark, liquorice root and orris root.
Our Holyrood Dry aims to be a dependable go-to that is consistently reliable, but always fresh and delicious.
My flavour notes are – fresh citrus and piney juniper upfront, with liquorice and orris adding a rich mouthfeel, a lingering spicy, dry finish provided by the angelica, coriander and cassia. Classic.
Using Italian juniper provides a more floral and herbal character compared with juniper from further east (which are typically more citrus and piney); this, combined with the floral notes of the Romanian coriander, provides balance to the fresh, bright citrus up front that come from using fresh orange zest and lemon peel versus dried.
Using only the outermost peel/zest of the fresh citrus eliminates the bitter note that dried citrus would deliver, ensuring that only the brightest and cleanest citrus flavours shine through! Flavour matters!
Our Holyrood Dry botanical recipe is at least 70% juniper with no less than 18g of botanicals in each of our 50 cl bottles. We bottle at 43% ABV which we believe provides the best and freshest flavour delivery for the citrus and piney juniper notes. Simple, rich, intense and elegant. No gimmicks. Cheers, Jack
With our Pink Gin I have started from a blank sheet with a base spirit that balances a delicate floral top note (and pink colouration provided in the final maceration of hibiscus and rose petals) with the spice and fresh citrus delivered by pink peppercorns and fresh pink grapefruit peel. I decided that tempering and adding richness to the bright front end with a hint of sweetness and fruitiness was best delivered by using fresh Perthshire raspberries. Again, our spiritual trinity (juniper, coriander and angelica) provides a classic backbone to the gin, ensuring it holds up to mixing with a range of tonics.
Our Holyrood Pink botanical recipe is at least 50% juniper, with no less than 19g of botanicals in each of our 50 cl bottles. We bottle at 39% ABV which we believe provides the best flavour delivery for the floral top notes and sweet berry fresh fruit. Fruity, floral and perfumed. Deliciously deluxe. Cheers, Jack.
Our spirit still is starting to take shape! #edinburgh #whisky #distillery #flavourmatters pic.twitter.com/0tdkp8F0RF
